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Tern on the Blue
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Tern on the Blue

by Gary Minish

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted June 6, 201663 views5 comments
I thought I'd hone my tracking skills by taking on the local Arctic Terns.  They're small, they fly fast and they flit about and dive unexpectedly so it's quite a challenge.  On top of that, they have black eyes in a jet black mask so if you don't get them at the right angle you don't get the glint and you can't see the eyes!  I caught this one flying over the water which made for a colorful background.

Sony ILCE-6300, FE70-200 F4 G, ISO-100, f/6.3, 1/4000, hand held.

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on June 6, 2016 at 10:57 AM
The bird is wonderfully crisp, Gary, and you did succeed in getting the eye glint.  I'm also enjoying the highlights along the wing's leading edges and how well the bird blends with the oof waves in the background.  A fine catch.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 6, 2016 at 5:51 PM
Excellent, Gary.  Really good work nailing the focus on this and getting the fine detail.  The image does look rather dark to me.  I'm not familiar with the bird, but it seems darker than the guides would indicate.

devil
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on June 6, 2016 at 6:58 PM
Excellent capture of this sleek bird, Gary. You nailed the focus and the comp. Got any more? After all, one good tern...enlightened
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Minish on June 7, 2016 at 12:38 AM
Dennis;  It did turn out a bit dark because it was very bright, sharp light and I had to stop down to keep from blowing the highlights.  I could have used the luminance curve to boost the shadows but I kind of liked it this way.  In addition, I think I may have incorrectly identified the tern.  We have lots of both Arctic Terns and Common Terns.  The Common Terns tend to be darker gray all over so I'm thinking this one was probably a Common Tern. 

Scott;  Yes, I have more enlightened  You should see a couple more before this challenge is over.
Registered on February 4, 2006, 625 Posts, 3583 Comments
Comment posted by David Schoen on June 7, 2016 at 2:56 PM
Yes these Terns are very difficult to shoot.  This one is definitely very sharp but I agree with others that it is a little dark. Harsh lighting doesn't make your job very easy.
Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments