Hoary-headed Grebe

Gallery: AvianPosted January 31, 2011156 views18 comments

Hoary-headed Grebe photographed in southern New South Wales. I hesitate to post an image that's not pin-sharp everywhere, but perhaps the action compensates somewhat.

Canon 7D, EF500 f/4 + 1.4x, skimmer+mongoose, kwik camo, ISO 400, 1/2000, f8, ec -1, cropped to correct tilt, a stem below head and a couple of blobs above digitally removed.

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Andy Shepherd on January 31, 2011 at 5:29 AM

Love the water droplets and the pose of the grebe, the eye looks sharp and the BG is very nice, good work, Simon.

Andy...

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 31, 2011 at 5:37 AM

Simon, it's tack sharp where it matters - head and eye.
The motion blur on the back enhances the image, imo.
Great BG and water drops.
Excellent!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 31, 2011 at 5:46 AM

Fantastic Simon - as good a shot of this species as I've seen. The blurred flanks just add to the dynamics of the shot.

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on January 31, 2011 at 8:00 AM

Great capture n beautiful details, water droplets are bonus !
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on January 31, 2011 at 8:12 AM

Super angle Simon, love the colors in the water, the great action, splashing water and eye contact. The patch of blue behind the head worked very well, if the head were in front of the darker water the head may not have stood out so well.

I actually like the motion blur in this image because is conveys the motion of the bird very well. This is sharp where it needs to be.

A very appealing image for me as presented.

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

Comment posted by Dan Walters on January 31, 2011 at 8:41 AM

Great action and I like the drops of water around the bird.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on January 31, 2011 at 10:12 AM

Simon,
I agree with all positive comments, only a nit ..... it's not mine.

Congrats.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on January 31, 2011 at 10:15 AM

Great shot- nice pose, perfect exposure and excellent details on head- well done, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 31, 2011 at 10:39 AM

Great action Simon. I enjoy the IQ from the small crop and think the motion blur is very appropriate for the situation. Nice low angle and I agree with Mia's comment about the background blue.

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

Comment posted by Alan Bryant on January 31, 2011 at 10:43 AM

Top shot there

Registered on March 31, 2006, 473 Posts, 1081 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 31, 2011 at 11:58 AM

This is sweet Simon. Love the colors and the action. Head is tack sharp, so it all works for me with that great low angle.

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

Comment posted by Darren Colello on January 31, 2011 at 12:20 PM

Awesome timing and detail. Great work here Simon!!!

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on January 31, 2011 at 12:33 PM

Plenty sharp for me! And the action and angle are superb!

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 31, 2011 at 1:10 PM

A species I have not heard of before, interesting looking bird. I agree with the previous comments, the blur is more than acceptable. I would go a bit further with the tilt correction, CCW.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on January 31, 2011 at 5:54 PM

Have not heard of this species of Grebe, Simon. The name sure suits it well, and you've got a wonderful moment captured here. I'd love to have it!

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 1, 2011 at 7:43 AM

Simon, I'm with all the others--great action, sharp where you need it, and a well-placed blue spot in the bg! this is really nice, love the low angle. I do agree about a little ccw rotation.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on February 1, 2011 at 9:34 AM

The action compensates and then some, this is much better imo than a standard portrait. Super shot Simon, I agree re a touch of ccw rotation. Congrats

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Karen Summers on February 1, 2011 at 3:28 PM

lovely shot and the water droplets are great

Registered on December 3, 2009, 83 Posts, 818 Comments