King Penguins

Gallery: AvianPosted December 16, 2010216 views19 comments

Olympus E-3, 300mm, handheld from zodiac
f4.5, 1/800, ISO400

At this stop, all we were permitted to do was ride around in zodiacs, not actually land. So I have a great many blurry shots. However, the sky brightened long enough for me to get this shot. The male (on our right) has his eyes closed, but apparently that's part of the courtship drill. King Penguins are the runway models of penguins; they can't help but look elegant, I think.

Slight crop from the bottom. Adjusted levels and selective sharpening.

C & C, please. Thanks for looking.

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on December 16, 2010 at 1:58 AM

Courtship? Is this a menage-a-trois? LOL
Not the smallest nit from me - exceptional detail in the fur, great colors, great behavior, and good BG.

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by richard remington on December 16, 2010 at 8:18 AM

Jim,

I agree with Sandy. This is the best pengiuin shot I have seen in a long time. The colors on these birds are sublime! Great shot!

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on December 16, 2010 at 9:26 AM

Looks like they are having a meeting of the minds. Great shot all around!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 16, 2010 at 9:58 AM

Great behavior, Jim and I really like the composition. Excellent image quality.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Joel DeYoung on December 16, 2010 at 11:03 AM

Beautiful, and hand held from a zodiac no less.
the details and colors are wonderful. Well done.

Registered on July 12, 2009, 92 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by dan elster on December 16, 2010 at 11:16 AM

This must have been an awesome adventure. Razor sharp image here.

Registered on September 23, 2005, 299 Posts, 2443 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on December 16, 2010 at 11:22 AM

Sweet Jim, great little "conference" of these three birds. Elegant looking indeed.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on December 16, 2010 at 12:51 PM

Totally cool. Sounds like an amazing trip.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on December 16, 2010 at 2:10 PM

A lovely capture, perfectly timed

Well done.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on December 16, 2010 at 5:49 PM

Elegant indeed. The way the bills cross and those orange markings mix it up makes for an interesting design here.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on December 16, 2010 at 9:13 PM

You've captured some very interesting action Jim, great timing on this unique Pow-wow alignment

Very special, you have a winner here

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on December 16, 2010 at 9:24 PM

Excellent capture.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on December 16, 2010 at 10:31 PM

Very nice. I like the three intertwined beaks and the streaks of orange. The trio is nicely separated from the background-and it must have been difficult to isolate these.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on December 16, 2010 at 10:55 PM

Great interaction caught, Jim! Really well done getting this whilst on a Zodiac!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Andy Shepherd on December 17, 2010 at 4:54 AM

Very envious of your experience, Jim. I would love to see King Penguins in the wild. This is a good capture, showing some interesting behavior.

Andy...

Registered on September 24, 2006, 123 Posts, 1254 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 17, 2010 at 8:21 PM

Very well done Jim, love the poses, the natural colors and I find the crossing bills very appealing.

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

Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on December 17, 2010 at 8:54 PM

A very cool photo, Jim. A neat behavior shot.

Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on December 17, 2010 at 10:07 PM

Sweet shot Jim. Great detail and implied action. Wish I could have seen this in person.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Gilham on December 18, 2010 at 8:35 AM

Very nice image Jim in what sounds like tough shooting conditions. The pose of the penguins is what makes this for me. Good comp and techs.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments