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Anhinga portrait
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Anhinga portrait

by Vincent Grafhorst

Gallery: AvianPosted April 21, 2011107 views11 comments
This is an image from my recent Costa Rica trip. Although it was a family holiday I did of course drag along my gear in the hope I would get a chance to use it, which I did on a few occasions. The Anhinga or American Darter (Anhinga anhinga) is very similar to the African Darter (Anhinga rufa), so I could probably even sell this in Africa:biggrin:.

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
Sarapiqui, Costa Rica
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Shutter Speed 1/5000 Sec.
Aperture Value f/4
ISO Speed 500
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM
HH from boat
slight crop (sliver from bottom and right)

Comments

11 comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 21, 2011 at 2:13 PM
Great closeup of this common but cool bird!
Really like the perspective here, and the pose.
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 21, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Vincent, I like how the fanned wing provides a base for this guy(commonly called snake bird around here), and that touch of green behind the bill that acts like a diffused spotlight.
There is a but... I feel the need for a little more canvas up top.
Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Heironymus on April 21, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Beautiful, love the light.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 36 Posts, 1110 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 21, 2011 at 9:09 PM
Lovely shot with lots of drama due to the dark background and the contrast in the wing feathers. All of those help to focus my attention on the bird's neck and head.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by S Govindarajan on April 21, 2011 at 9:24 PM
Very nice pose, Vincent. The details on the plumage are amazing. Excellent light and comp. Think you could have got with a smaller aperture and got more of the bird in focus since you had more than enough SS. Do these birds have whites in their feathers or is it just iridescence?
Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Canuel on April 21, 2011 at 10:20 PM
I like the "over the cape" look of this one. The dark BG sets off the lighter wings nicely. I also like the contrast between the vertical lines of the feathers and the horizontal line of the neck and head.
Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 21, 2011 at 11:58 PM
What a treat, two Anhinga sighting in one morning ... even if I only caught sight of them here ;^)

As I just suggested on Sandy's shot, I love this species and one day, in the not too distant future, I too will be getting some excellent pics of our Oriental Darter to show you :^) BTW, in Thai they call it "Nok Gnoo", which translates to "Snake Bird" too :^)

Come to think of it, in line with what you wrote Vincent, methinks it might be well worth my while getting cracking on this project now, so I have something to sell when I fly over to SA later this year - LOL ;^p

Love the composition of this image, the marvelous colour and detail you caught in it's eye, as well as the impression I have of it smiling at you by way of the angle of it's head and the subtly upward curving line separating the upper and lower parts of it's bill :^)
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Hackley on April 22, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Good close up to show the detail in the wing feathers and the light contrast really makes this a very interesting image, way to go.
Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments
Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 22, 2011 at 8:11 PM
A favorite pose and crop of mine for these guys. The larger image really shos the sharpness and great sheen on the wings.
Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on April 23, 2011 at 12:42 PM
Love the way you composed this Vincent and the nice view of the eye and the gular sac. I think a little more dof might have worked very well too considering the shutter speed you had. I like the dark background and how well the bird stands out from it.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on May 9, 2011 at 8:56 PM
Very nice viewed large, the extended wing makes for a unique comp.
The settings threw me at first, but then I see it's handheld from a boat.
A little insurance is a good thing :smile:
Well done! :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments