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Least Tern In Flight
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Least Tern In Flight

by Michael Lotito

Gallery: AvianPosted June 8, 201072 views12 comments
Canon 7D With EF 500mm F4 and 1.4 tc
1/6000 sec, F 6.3, ISO 320 Hand Held

I believe this is one of my better flight shot efforts. Everyone's opinion and critique are welcome.

Comments

12 comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on June 8, 2010 at 9:29 PM
Great photo - they are so hard to get in flight especially with nice lighting on them. Is this a crop at all?

- Luke
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on June 8, 2010 at 9:30 PM
You nailed the sharpness on the face here Michael, the shadow across the face isn't ideal but not much you could have done about that. :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by Michael Lotito on June 8, 2010 at 9:33 PM
Just a small crop to position the bird in the frame Luke.
Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments
Comment posted by David Haynes on June 8, 2010 at 9:41 PM
Michael,

I love terns and you nailed this one. I find it especially difficult on many of the terns to get any eye detail at all and you've done fantastic with this shot. The shadow misses the eye. Nice and sharp.
Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments
Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on June 8, 2010 at 11:22 PM
excellent flight shot, Mike. good wing position, nice composition. the shadow may not be ideal but for me it is also quite minor--in the large version the eye shows very well.
Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Gulash on June 8, 2010 at 11:48 PM
Well done Michael, sharp and good exposure. It would have been nice if he were flying into the sun, but hey, can't change that. :smile:
Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments
Comment posted by Rob Drummond on June 9, 2010 at 7:12 AM
Nice clean shot Michael

cheers
Rob
Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments
Comment posted by denise ippolito on June 9, 2010 at 8:51 AM
I really think that the Least Terns are my favorite. Nice sharp details and the wing position is lovely. Agree w/ Nate about shadow. Sky color is lovely.
Registered on December 17, 2009, 202 Posts, 1529 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on June 9, 2010 at 11:33 AM
Michael, I love the wing position in ths shot and the detail is very nice. I agree about the shadow across the face. Wonder if you could selectively bring up the shadows in that area? I used NIK Viveza 2 SW for stuff like that and it does a much better job of keep the details IMO than PS does. If you haven't tried it, they have a free trial on it and a plug in for both PS and LR. Anyhow, great shot and they will just keep getting even better I am sure. :toast:
Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments
Comment posted by David Sparks on June 9, 2010 at 7:58 PM
Michael:
Least Terns are nesting on the beach here now and I've spent a lot of time trying to get flight shots. Difficult subjects - so small with erratic movements and always approaching from my back when I'm facing the direction I want to shoot. Tomorrow I'm going to face the opposite direction and see if they approach in better light :smile: I agree about the shadow. Good job getting almost full frame. :toast:
Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 10, 2010 at 12:22 AM
Very nice flight shot, Michael. It's great that the shadow of the wing just misses the eye. Excellent detail and exposure. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on June 11, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Excellent flight shot, Michael. You managed to get detail on the dark head as well. :smile:
Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments