Dipper Flight

Struggled like hell to get something worthwhile out of a flight session with some dippers. This is easily the best of the 100's attempted but feels a bit tight in the frame and there is something lacking but what I can't see, possibly too sharp ie missing some motion blur

Canon EOS 1D MkII N
Canon 600mm prime + 12mm extn tube Tripod mounted and covered in camo :)
580EX flash running in hi-sync mode
Full frame 1/500@f11 @ iso 400 (this was underexposed by approx 1/2 stop)
Processed in C1 Pro and CS2

Well i think you did a great job. Exposure is very good, so is the sharpness. I cant recall seeing any dipper flight shots as good as this one! Yes, its a bit tight in the frame, just add a bit of canvas!
Great stuff
Rene de Heer

As Rene said, The exposure is spot on and it is tack sharp. I haven't seen too many flight shots of dippers but it looks like one of the best.

Rob

Hi Kevin

You have done so well to nail this shot. I agree it is a little tight in the frame and the OOF FG is a little distracting as when you first look at the image it looks like a bird about to take off. One of the most detailed Dipper flight shots I have seen!

David

Yep agree with all the above-A very difficult subject-Well done

Extraordinary stuff, I would like some panning streaks though, so carry on now.



Tim

Great shot.... I think David has hit the nail on the head as to why it may not feel quite right.... will be hard to better.... (whats next ?)

Swallows Phil :) Found a nice active area. Now I just need to avoid getting whiplash using the 600mm!

Wow! A dipper in flight... you don't see that everyday. Amazing that you had it pin sharp with an 'AF confusing' background. Did you have all the focus points lit up or just the centre?

I guess if you are looking for imperfection, you will always find it... In my mind the only thing that it 'missing' is the wing position? It look a little sureal where the wings are... Does it matter? Its still a cracker!

Cracking work to get a shot like this. For me the main reason it looks a little 'odd' is the wing. It looks freakishly small compared to the size of the bird. Obviously it's just the timing and the angle, but it does look a bit strange.

Still a great shot though

Michael S

Can't begin to imagine how hard this was

Certainly a shot that's out of the ordinary. Think Michael is right about the wing position, it doesn't give a sense that the bird is in flight and looks like more of a wing stretch. There are also some blurred areas in the centre around the legs which are a bit unsettling.

You're nearly there with it, keep trying.

A

Very impressive, Kevin

Hi Kevin
a wonderful shot.
John
Aberdeen

Excellent result

Minor nits noted, but what a performance to get a flight photo of something so small and fast-moving. Well done!

it's all been said Kevin.
I'll just sit back and enjoy.

John

I hate to be controversial but I've got to admit that having spent the day yesterday following Dippers up and down a river and seeing how they behave when standing around and the speedy and erratic way in which they fly, I'm not totally convinced this image is real - there are a few things that just don't really add up for me.

Kevin if I'm wrong I really am vey sorry and I'm not posting this to offend, if its not real I'm not bothered but I had to say it as its my gut feeling. If this is the original photo it is just unfortunate enough to look photoshopped. Especially when compared to your other excellent Dipper photos.

Not a problem Richard as I personally don't like the image as it is looks too static to me, it was an experiment with the hi-sync mode on the flashgun but doesn't work (yet) as the bg is too dark and the flash work is too obvious. The only photoshop work is the removal of a minor highlight in the bg bottom right and the usual levels and curves work prior to resize and resharpening.

Note for Elliott: this was pre-focussed on a regular flight path, partially the reason for the very high number of rejects.