Seasonal Kingfisher

Gallery: AvianPosted December 20, 2009164 views13 comments

One from last year but in keeping with the season and the recent snowy weather conditions we've been experiencing here in the UK in recent days.

With thanks for all the advice and comments given since I joined the forum a few months ago...and just to wish everyone on NPN a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and successful New Year

taken with Canon EOS30D with Canon EF70-200 f/2.8 L IS lens at 200mm, f/2.8, 1/250thsec, ISO400 and fairly heavy crop

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 20, 2009 at 4:50 PM

Just gorgeous. A real nice holiday card photo! I saw a belted kingfisher fly over today after we got 2 feet of snow dumped on us.. lucky for him the waters aren't frozen over.

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Christine Adams on December 20, 2009 at 7:02 PM

Awesome shot Jeff! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!

Registered on January 24, 2006, 119 Posts, 1871 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on December 20, 2009 at 8:03 PM

Quite the mood here Jeff with the falling snow and colors of the bird. Yes, it does have a very nice holiday feel to it. I like the pano crop but I might not have made it a wee bit less narrow. For my taste it has a slight "squishing" effect on the bird. A minor nit for me on a very nice image.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Carrie O'Brien-Sib on December 20, 2009 at 8:46 PM

Simply breathtaking, Jeff! I love everything about this image! Fantastic work!

Merry Christmas to you, too!

Registered on August 4, 2009, 149 Posts, 889 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on December 20, 2009 at 11:40 PM

Fantastic Jeff - like the comp although possibly a little less pano. Just not used to seeing a kingfisher and snow in the same shot.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Cliff Forrest on December 21, 2009 at 12:14 AM

Jeff,

This photo is really somethin'. It's fantastic.
-Cliff

Registered on March 3, 2009, 51 Posts, 78 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Harrison on December 21, 2009 at 4:12 AM

Thanks for all the kind comments folks - much appreciated

As for the "squishing" effect Ron, the bird's pose/posture is actually true to life - it was in a rather crouched position, no doubt due to the conditions

Registered on September 20, 2009, 9 Posts, 73 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 22, 2009 at 9:36 AM

Jeff,

The only real issue I can detect with your image is that on my screen it appears that the kingfisher is slightly over sharpened.

Otherwise I think this is a wonderful image. Love the colors, your choice of a pano crop, the falling snow and over all mood to the image.

Happy Holidays to you!

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on December 22, 2009 at 4:12 PM

Very nice shot. The panoramic crop works very well.

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on December 22, 2009 at 6:37 PM

A beautiful seasonal shot Jeff , and the pano crop does work, although I wish there was a little more room above and below the bird and perch. It does feel a little squashed in there.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Harrison on December 23, 2009 at 2:21 AM

Many thanks for the further comments and observations

If, as Ron and Nick say, the bird looks a little squished/squashed I suspect that effect is heightened by the relatively small overall size of the image as displayed on screen.

I've now sold a number of framed copies of this image printed on A3+ paper (but in the same pano format) and it looks fine at that size

Registered on September 20, 2009, 9 Posts, 73 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on December 23, 2009 at 11:08 AM

LOVE it. The comp is great the snow is awesome and the bird detail is excellent as well.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Harrison on December 24, 2009 at 2:41 AM

Thanks Cheryl

Registered on September 20, 2009, 9 Posts, 73 Comments