Home From Galapagos/#1

Just got in from Quito/MCO after my greatest ever Galapagos trip, my sixth in five years. We ran into about a dozen Galapago Hawks on the beach at Urbina Bay, Isabella Island. This young bird was photographed backlit in bright sun just a few minutes before 11am. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/9.

Hotspots tamed with ACR conversion and several Quick Masked Linear Burns.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

Looks like he's telling you something Artie !!! LOL.
Delightful image, beautifully edited.
Cheers: Ian Mc

Far be it for me to critize.

Daniel Belasco said:

Far be it for me to critize.

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Well, you can like it or not like it and let us know why either way

Great action and comp. Excellent post processing if flash was not used. I might add more blacks to the neutrals in the head.

Alan Murphy said:

Great action and comp. Excellent post processing if flash was not used. I might add more blacks to the neutrals in the head.

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No flash permitted in Galapagos.... Thanks for the suggestion. I will give it a go.

Peter Kes said:

Hi Arthur - I do like the face (s)he's giving you, beak open and calling: details in the beak are beautiful. Backlight giving it this extra punch. Bright details of the chest are questionable, looking a little congested.

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Thanks Peter. I am a bit confused by this: Bright details of the chest are questionable, looking a little congested."

Are you referring to the two birght feathers on the right side of the bird's neck? (The entire chest was in shade and looks fine here.) And not sure by what you meant by congested.

Artie, aside from the brilliance of the image, seeing the sharp details down into the depths of the gullet, and then doing the math pertaining to your lens/distance from subject - 800 x 1.4 x 1.3 - simply makes some of us drool for long glass and wonder in amazement at your ability to travel with such heavy gear.

My brother just finished reviewing your Antarctic Tutorial CD and is sending me your suggested equipment list!

You are an amazing artist with some the heaviest paint brushes imaginable!!

Artie:

Good to see you back safely. It is interesting how much detail you got in the mouth without flash, esp. in a back lit situation. I know you commented on an image recently that had a well illuminated mouth, and you stated that you would have sworn flash was used.

I do agree with Peter, there is something odd looking about the mainly white/cream feathers on the neck just where it merges with the chest. The detail, or lack there of, looks odd, compared with the feathers on lower chest. Perhaps that is a characteristic of this bird, but it looks rather flat, like too much post processing was used. I know it wasn't, just what it looks like to me.

Cheers

Randy

No flash? Simply superb exposure control Artie, I envy you so much for being able to go to Galapagos!
I love the power of the image, great atitude and detail, colors and sharpness, nice comp and although light was not ideal, you managed it perfectly! Congratulations!

Welcome back Artie, This one is simply superb. You can almost read his lips. The eyes here really pull you in. Composition is great and BG++. Congrats.

Brian

Welcome back Maestro.
What an incredible gape! love the details down the throat. Super eye contact and BG. You da man!

Randy,

re:

Good to see you back safely.



It is interesting how much detail you got in the mouth without flash, esp. in a back lit situation. I know you commented on an image recently that had a well illuminated mouth, and you stated that you would have sworn flash was used.

The look here and the look there were completely different to me (though this image did remind me of that one).

I do agree with Peter, there is something odd looking about the mainly white/cream feathers on the neck just where it merges with the chest. The detail, or lack there of, looks odd, compared with the feathers on lower chest. Perhaps that is a characteristic of this bird, but it looks rather flat, like too much post processing was used. I know it wasn't, just what it looks like to me.

Ah, now I see what Peter was talking about and I agree with both of you. I will need to go back and re-do this one from scratch. Lots of work there... The repost here is a tight crop of the problematic area after an unmanipulated ACR conversion; all but one of the feathers shows good detail.

Note the tiny parts of the really hot areas upper left.

Hi Jay,

re:

Artie, aside from the brilliance of the image, seeing the sharp details down into the depths of the gullet, and then doing the math pertaining to your lens/distance from subject - 800 x 1.4 x 1.3 - simply makes some of us drool for long glass and wonder in amazement at your ability to travel with such heavy gear.

Thanks for your kind words. Drooling is no substitute for top-notch technique, the ability to get the techs and sharpness spot on, and being able to not ruin the image in post.... Most times when I let the droolers put a card in the big lens with a TC the first thing that they ask me is "Can you get the bird in the viewfinder for me?" Once you master that, all you need to do is learn to focus accurately, create a sharp image, design a pleasing composition and come up with the right EXP practically instantaneously, and then press the shutter button.... As I say often, "It ain't the lens...."

My brother just finished reviewing your Antarctic Tutorial CD and is sending me your suggested equipment list!

I hope that that is all that he is sending you: no sharing except for spouses....

You are an amazing artist with some the heaviest paint brushes imaginable!!

It ain't the size of the brush or the canvas or the paints.... Lots of folks own 800s. Do check out my upcoming posts. Many were made with short lenses.... (The fish eye sea-lion in Wildlife for one.)

Artie, Congratulations for a great capture, what makes this image special for me is the expression on the eyes and the open beak, of course everything else is almost perfect given the dificult light conditions.
Was the bird's display directed at you ?

Regards
Fernando Cerra

Welcome back, I really like the eyes on this one, there's a crisp quality to them and I think I can see the horizon
Along with the open beak they make the expression. Quite powerful.

Fernando Cerra said:

Was the bird's display directed at you ? Regards, Fernando Cerra

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Thanks Fernando and all for your help and kind words. The bird was not at all reacting to me. I was creating a series of vertical head and shoulders portraits when the bird simply opened its bill. I do not recall it making a sound. Keith Kennedy was photographing right next to me at the time. I did hear his shutter fire when the bird opened its bill and realized that Keith had not been looking through his viewfinder for the magic moment. I showed him the image and, as I often do in such situations said jokingly, "I'm gonna be famous!"

Stunning image Artie. Lovely expression on the face! Excellent exposure considering the backlighting.
Well done!

Lovely intense shot! The detail is great, the open beak greater and the BG is nice! I agree with going back to ACR for the highlit feathers. Good to hear you had a great trip!

Killer one Bhai... good to see you back was sort of missing you, Superb exopure on this one.. Loved the open bill and details here.. when its a raptor I am totally into the bird. waiting for more guru.