Fly Frenetic

Gallery: AvianPosted January 29, 2015227 views11 comments

Geneva, Switzerland
D300S 300mm f2.8 G ED VR2
ISO 400 1/1250 at f /8.0 EV 0.00 WB Manual Centre weighted average
Hand held
RAW file original 50% crop
Photoshop CS6

Goosanders fly really fast and this female Goosander was no exception. For this shot, my self imposed mission was to impart an impression of high speed motion of the bird rather than to freeze the moment. To this effect, I looked for parallel striations in the background which would be much more relevant than a reflection in mirror flat water. The resulting jagged reflections are I think, a welcome addition to this setting. Hope you like it. Your crits. and nits are most welcome.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on January 29, 2015 at 8:15 AM

Hi David, love the colour palette on this and the 'graphic' lines in the water and reflection of the wings, juxtapose to the softer, finer detail of the plumage and within in the wings. Sadly for me the bird is angled and flying away from the viewer and the head has a darker shadow, nothing you could do, but if it was more side on, then for me you would still retain the overall look & feel, but have a better head angle and an EVEN more pleasing image IMHO.

TFS
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Sandra M. Apel on January 29, 2015 at 11:21 AM

David, the jagged reflections are in fact a great addition to the setting and caught my attention immediately. The overall color balance presents a soft and pleasing presentation. I get the feeling of heft and strength of this bird rather than speed not a bad point just my impression of the Goosander here. I agree with Steve's point about the darker head as a result of the viewer's perspective. The detail in the wing plumage is caught well I love the overall composition. Thanks for posting.

Registered on October 15, 2013, 20 Posts, 171 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on January 29, 2015 at 11:35 AM

David

Steve's assessment echo's mine. The image is nice and sharp! I just wish the bird was flying toward us, not away.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on January 29, 2015 at 2:38 PM

Can only echo the previous remarks - and am impressed how you captured this fast-flyer, even when flying away

, cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on January 29, 2015 at 4:00 PM

The details are good but I have to agree with the others concerning the angle.

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on January 29, 2015 at 7:14 PM

Still looks good to me even with the "head away" angle. Love the wing refections.
John

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by David Haynes on January 29, 2015 at 9:21 PM

David,
Absolutely love the reflection you caught and the water striations make it so much more appealing to me. I echo everyone else's comments regarding the head angle. This would be a perfect 10 if the the duck had either turned it's head towards you just a little or if the duck was actually flying towards you. Super job catching this speedster and tack sharp. Exposure is dead on.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 29, 2015 at 10:08 PM

My comments pretty much echo Steve's comments below David. I know how hard it is to get them to fly toward you..they always fly away from me also.

Still very nice techs, love the water and color palette.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by David Rowe on January 30, 2015 at 9:51 AM

Many thanks for your crits.
This take of the same bird was shot 2s earlier, unfortunately with no linear water ripples, parallel to the direction of flight. The wings are at full upward stretch and the reflections, such as they are, together impart an increase to the vertical dimension of the composition - not at all in keeping with the aim of my mission. The face of the bird is in deep shadow and the scanty features are even less apparent in this shot. I binned the frames of the bird passing directly in front of me, since only one wing was visible.
David

Registered on December 20, 2013, 133 Posts, 286 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on January 30, 2015 at 9:54 AM

Wonderful BIF capture David. I love the reflection in the textured water and you captured the action well. I agree this would have been a stronger image had the bird been more on-plane, but a terrific image regardless.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on February 1, 2015 at 2:15 AM

Beautifully sharp David

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