My First Kingkisher +Furture Shot

Months of searching,asking half of this site for tips(thanks to them) but in the end I've found a place, this perch is not the best but was there and to replace it with the moss style is not an opinion as it will disturbe the birds, they use this one to 'knock' the fish out on its a start and there have been some brillant ones on here which I hope to get near to that standard maybe,such beautiful birds.

All Comments And Advice Welcome

Tech;
Nikon D300
Nikon F4VR600
F5.6,1/100
iso 400
Matrix
PP-CS3,Very Little Done,Full Frame

Thanks For Looking

Hi Craig,

Congrats on your first Kingfisher! A lovely shot and the perch is fine to me. I see the bird is ringed and that's something i don't see to often over here.
Looking forward to seeying more shots form this place!

Greetings,

Jeroen Stel

As you say, the perch is not the best, but still a good shot. Plenty of space for the book title at the top !
JohnR

Congratulations Craig on achieving a first for you. A beautiful bird against a great BG. Excellent.

Yes, well done Craig, lovely first KF image

A nice shot.
Finding a good spot is always half the battle, should be lots more oppurtunities from here in.

Hi Craig

Your own critique of the shot identifies its 'short coming' (the perch), but if this is the sign of things to come then you should do well out of the site. Great start.

A general comment about kingfisher shots would have to be that they tend to be a bit 'samey'. It would be nice for someone to rise to the challenge of coming up with something different. Not easy, this is a species I certainly struggle to get creative with.

Anyway, nice capture and well done for not disturbing the birds. Perhaps if they stay faithful to the site over the winter, they'll be less prone to disturbance and you'll get chance to change the perch and experiment a bit.

Cheers,
Chris

Superb image Craig. Congrats on getting your first KF, Im still waiting for mine despite endless hours spent waiting & seeing them in the distance or flying past me.

Lee

Thank you all,Chris love your well detailed comments, I'm already working on that sir, as you can see with this one,it is the shot I want,perched on one of these flowers,thanks for advice

Well done Craig. I would be very happy with this pose and perch. These little fellows have been eluding me for the last year. Prior to that I didn't do too badly with them. One appeared today when I was out with my macro lens - typical.

Cracking opener Craig, looking forward to your third

Andy...

Thank you all for your nice/helpful comments

Craig the the second image is excellent in my opinion. It is also a departure from the 'normal' kingfisher image, as you have produced an image, which is greater than the sum of its four parts, the bird, the plant, the spider's silk and the great BG IMHO.

PS You are rapidly progressing and producing fine images with your own stamp of authority on them. Your love of the natural world shows through and that is what counts.

I'd be happy with both, Craig. As Chris says the first is a bog-standard portrait and very nice too. The comp is a bit different and works well. The second shot adds a different dimension. Light is perhaps a little harsh and this perch may suit overcast light much better. I'm sure there will be some good stuff to come form here. Cheers, Mark

I just wish I could see more of these - only one in my life. I remember the feeling well. I see huge potential in the second image - it would be good if you could soften the background a little then you would have a stunner! Look forward to seeing more from here.