What an amazing bird! I am so jealous of your birds down there!! And you do them justice! You caught a wonderful pose and extra credit for handheld from a kayak!
This is a good look at this interesting bird. It’s pose and your comp. look good. I had to look carefully to find the blue eye ring, so I’m grinning about that. I’m not sure that noise is a problem, since the oof surroundings look fine. I do think a bit more contrast would look good. That however is an “artistic choice” suggestion, that’s up to you.
What a neat bird. Sort of like a marsh hen in a way. Terrific crest. The blue eye ring reminds me of mourning doves here, - they have the same thing. Lovely pose and I like the room you’ve given around it.
For shooting from a kayak, do you sit and wait for hours for birds to come or constantly move from one spot to another? I’ve been kayaking for about 10 years now and don’t often have the patience to stay put for long periods. Do you use any camouflage if you do sit for a long time? Just curious. My bright red boat sticks out like crazy, but I can often be unnoticed.
Kris, we started with a “peddle” Tandem Hobie that was just the bee’s knees, but now I find it’s just too heavy for me to load on top of the roof racks. We now have two separate “paddle” kayaks. One is bright yellow, the other is bright red. It doesn’t seem to matter to the birds if the kayaks are a bit bright. With the peddle kayak you could sneak up on critters without too much arm movement…just adjusting the camera. The paddling action seems to unsettle the birds, but not enough to move away. I don’t use any camo , but I’m patient. I will take note of where I see birds and then, on the way home, I’ll sit and wait. The hardest part for me now is getting in…and out, with a big lens. The worry of dropping it in the drink is always there. Once I’m settled in the vessel I feel very comfortable with my abilities.
Diane, The noise problem has come about because the image was quite under-exposed. I tried running it through Topaz Denoise, but it made little difference.
Thanks @glennie - I see how a peddle kayak (my neighbor uses one for fishing) would be stealthier than a paddle boat. It’s always movement that gives us away. My big photography goal this year is to do a better job with birds and wildlife. Patience is a big part of that so I’ll just have to work on it.
By shooting micro-4/3, I don’t have the issue with big lenses. My 100-400mm is probably the size of your 70-210, lol. My “70-210” fits in my pocket.
Have you looked at a Thule Hullivator for hauling the boat? I love this thing. Have had one since buying a Jeep which is too tall for me to load the boat up there and not risk the paint and bodywork.
