I spotted this loon this morning shortly after sunrise having a great time preening and splashing. I'm puzzled why he's still here as the rest of the loons left a couple of months ago--I prefer the 80 degree water here rather than the frigid water up North, but I thought loons like it chilly . Anyway, C&C much appreciated!
Nikon D7000 Nikon 300mm 2.8 with 1.7 tc
ISO 400, f8, 1/2000 manual exposure
stabilized with bean bag on bow of boat
I am not familiar with loon species other than common loon (with which I am not even familiar anyway). Could this be a juvenile?
I like the position of the wings and the low angle. Good job with that, especially from a boat.
The biggest issue with the image is the blown whites on the chest. Reducing exposure by 1/3, maybe even 2/3 would have rendered good detail on the chest. Using a shutter speed of 1/2500 or 1/3200 would have done it. And I guess it might have helped, considering that the stability of the boat must have been challenging.
What was your distance from the bird? I am a bit surprised that at f/8 the right wing of the bird (the one of the left of the image) looks a bit out of focus. I suspect the bird was very close to you?
Thanks P-A for your input. I used the digital color meter on the raw file and noticed the whites were only hot in a couple spots as opposed to when I brightened it in PP. Something to be aware of in the future. As for the distance, my husband states it was about 30 yards. I hesitate to approach loons any closer as they tend to dive just I'm about the press the shutter.
Loon Bath Time
. Anyway, C&C much appreciated!
