by Jim DeWitt
Canon 1D-X, 500mm f4 x 1.4 TC, handheld
f9, 1/800, ISO4000
American Dippers build quite large nests out of moss and mud. This fellow was making sure it was okay to show me where the nest was before taking the latest load up to it.
Full frame, a bit tight but what do you do with a prime? It was pretty dark under the bridge where the photo was taken, and Dippers "dip," so I needed a high shutter speed. As a result, even at ISO4000, the depth of field is a bit narrow.
Very slight sharpening to head, more sharpening to legs. Otherwise, as shot.
C & C, please. Thanks for looking.
Comments
8 commentsLike the bahavior -- more room top and right would be nice -- my attention goes to the nesting material and more room would not change that --
Attention does seem to be drawn to the nesting materials, which is fine as that is what IMHO makes this dipper image stand out. Well done! Thanks for sharing.
Looks like a new species Jim; the bearded dipper. I have seen them during nest building in the past, and this image brings back those memories. Nice shot - yes, a little tight, but it shows well how this bird operates. Good thing that camera does well at ISO 4000.
Nice job on this one, Jim. It's cool to get nesting material in the beak. Excellent detail for the lighting conditions.
Nice behavior shot Jim. A little tight on top, but can you run backwards at full speed while holding focus and a steady hand? Probably not so you take what nature and your lens gives you. Nevertheless, a good one cause it is a dipper......................Jim
Excellent shot of a working bird, Jim! We usually have a couple of these in what I call the moose pond at the bottom of Thompson Pass. I haven't been able to get a decent picture because the swamp prevents me from getting close enough and my previous camera didn't have enough reach. I haven't seen them so far this year but I'll be watching for them.
Great behavior photo of this guy Jim! Love that classic dipper pose and that beak full of moss.
Sweet Close-up
Jim,
this is a wonderful shot. The large iteration even shows the brown eye. It is cropped a little tight for my taste. Do you have more frame to allow a looser crop? I find that when I get a shot with great detail, as this is, I tend to crop too tightly and don't give enough context. I have to back myself off from a "speciman" shot to a shot of a wonderful bird in its environment. I really enjoy your work.