Belted Kingfisher

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 7D
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L
1/640 sec f/6.3 (Manual) ISO 800 HH

Levels and sharpening in CS5
Significant NR on BG in Noiseware Pro. A little NR on the bird itself

This guy took me totally by surprise (I've never seen one of these guys before at this particular spot) and headed right at me. I shot fast and prayed. I probably could have done lots of things differently (increase ISO, tripod with slower SS, etc.), but had no time. I've been trying to get a kingfisher image for ages.

[pat lillich]

oh congratulations Ian, I've been chasing one at Oka ponds unsuccessfully - this sure shows the markings on its front beautifully!

it would be great if you could bring out the eye a little more - I wonder if brightening the catch light would help. And cropping closer all around to him so there was more focus on the bird.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, Pat. I'll play with the eye a bit and see what I can do. I'm afraid that a closer crop will amplify the noise that is already hurting the image, but I'll give it a whirl.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Ian, this is a really tough bird to capture and I can understand your excitement at getting the shot. I do believe that the bird was too far away for your lens in this case, and the crop is evident in the reduced image quality. I have been chasing one of these birds myself, and I think success is a matter of determination and skill in getting close. My advice is to keep trying!

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, Kerry. It's not a huge crop, but it is cropped. In combination with the underexposure, that hurt. Frankly I was amazed how well the 400 locked on focus in that low light. Yes, I'll keep trying. These guys just don't like being photographed!

[Chris Johnston]

I've seen a lot of Kingfisher images but never seen a pic of one in flight. Despite the noise and crop you should consider yourself lucky to have captured this image.