Skimmer? on a fast dive down
Don't know if this is a Skimmer, but it sure was very acrobatic, hovering then diving into the water. Crop to vertical to emphasize vertical drop, ACR, CS5, touched up some spots and lightend BG, some dodging on wing, NR, sharpening.
7D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM +2.0x
1/4000
5.6
ISO 800
C&C welcome & appreciated,
- Brendan
Brendan, I think you got a Caspian Tern there... I like your capture and composition - good action shot! Whites are well controlled and the background fits nicely. Would be nice to see the eye better. Nicely done!
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
Thanks, Kerry, this guy put on quite a masterful diving display.
Brendan,
Caspian Tern - Distinguished from Royal Term by broader wings and dark under primaries. Patrols over water - nice action shot, I like it as presented.
Techs - might not need that much IOS with that fast shutter. I try and keep my 7D 400 or less. I realize situations can be fluid and it often depends - but the higher ISO's are a trade off with noise.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 07-14-2011 at 05:38 PM.
Thanks Jeff, good tip to keep in mind for future. Congrats on becoming ETL moderator!
Brendan,
Thank you and I like your creativity. BIF and action shoots like this are fantastic to view and show great moments in the lives of these beautiful creatures. Keep em coming!
Sorry guys, I don't think this is a caspian tern or the very similar royal tern. . 1)caspians have broader larger bills, and not nearly as "pointed" as this image. 2)caspian and royal terns have orange bills, not yellow. The Caspian's has a redder orange bill than the royal 3) caspian and royal terns are not as slender as this bird. 4)adult caspian terns have black legs. Even if this was a younger bird the legs would be orange, or as they get older, speckled with black, then finally black 5)underwing feathers inconsistant with either caspian or royal terns..
Caspian and Royal terns are large terns, almost the size of a small gull. As a matter of fact the caspian tern is the world's largest tern. Can't tell the size from the photograph, but I'm thinking it is a small tern and likely a least tern. Black leading edge to the wing is the clincher. Included is one of my images of a least tern taken a few month ago.
About the photograph; good capture, and I'm assuming it is a least tern and their small size and rapid flight are quite challanging to capture. Good job there. The positioning of the bird low in the frame does not emphasize the drop, though a vertical orientation does.
Having the bird at the top of the frame, with the usual plenty of space to fly into (straight down in this case) would be far more dynamic. regards~Bill
Last edited by WIlliam Maroldo; 07-14-2011 at 09:31 PM.
Bill, you are correct. That bill isn't big enough or orange enough. Bad guess on my part! :eek:
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
Brendan - nice action shot. I can't help on the id. I agree that it would be better with more room below rather than above but also understand how hard it is to compose bif images in the field. I'm happy if its just in focus.
TFS,
Rachel
Nicely captured action, Brendan. I think that this is a young Forster's Tern. The bill is too short and not yellow enough for Least Tern.
Dan, can't rule out a young Foresters, though the young foresters I've seen have dark bills. My main point was that it wasn't a caspian or royal, and initially a least tern seemed most probable. However, upon closer inspection, something around the head area doesn't seem right for it being a least tern. Maybe Brendan has aother view of the bird he could post for ID purposes? regards~Bill
I very much like the way the shape of the bird fits the shape of the greenery like a jigsaw puzzel. The bird is nice and sharp, and I like the vertical crop. I agree more room at the bottom would be nice but not a deal breaker here for me. I like this alot, they are not easy to capture. I find the position of the feet and legs amusing too.
Thanks very much for your comments & suggestions folks.
William & Dan - I posted another shot, which hopefully will help to identify it as either a Least or Forster's Tern. Should have mentioned that this was at the local lake, its actions were to circle large area, hover and then dive.
http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...-Forster-s-%29
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