OK! There is a little story that comes with this photo. I was at my local spot standing near my Fairy-wren Tree(a little hangout for a few species of small bird) when I noticed a Grey Fantail zipping up and down the tree line. They are very responsive to playback so I thought I'd see what might be achieved. I selected the calls on my iPhone and pressed play. The bird was noticeably reacting to the playback but didn't appear to acting out of the ordinary but was trying to locate where the call was coming from, flying back and forth over my head and landing on obstructed branches. Without any luck I quit with the playback and proceeded to wait for the next bird to land on "my" tree. All of a sudden I felt an all mighty WHACK on the back of my head and nearly jumped. The Fantail attempted a kamikaze attack and hit me with(for a little bird) everything it had. These little birds will often buzz you but I've never been hit before.
I'll leave you to ponder as to why the little bugger hit me but it wasn't known until I photographed the little chook that it was a youngster. This photo was taken quite some time after the "attack".
1DMKIV, 600mm IS, 1.4x II, tripod.
ISO 1600, f/7.1, 1/800, 0ev If I was paying attention I would brought down the ISO and maybe stopped down but this was split second point and shoot opportunity. BTW I'm VERY happy with the IQ
Cropped, selective sharpening, slight blending of BG, levels, slight dodge on the face.
Well, a great image to go with a memorable experience, and i agree IQ is good and sharp where it counts.
Thanks for sharing! I only wish I could see the tail spread a little more. I just got my first vague glimpse of fantail a few days ago at a local sanctuary, and I am going back for a better chance as soon as I can!
Cool story Chris, and if looks could kill:) Love the eye contact, and he/she sure looks 'aggressive' Why he whacked you, maybe he misjudged, instead of just frightening you. Comp works well, and I like the BG.