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I’ve been unsure of my photography journey lately. However, I do know that birds in flight hold a special place in my heart so I got out and pushed myself with some extra slow shutter speeds. This Caspian Tern was skimming on the water surface for little fish to eat. I love the way its head is pulled back and how the force of the water at contact comes through.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

This is blurry…which is a stretch for me. I usually want at least an eye sharp. At 1/60th of a second I knew I’d be lucky to have much of anything in focus with these fast-flying, smaller birds. On a tripod.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Does the blurriness work to convey action, energy, and impact (literally, and figuratively)?

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

D500 with 200-500mm lens.
500mm, 1/60th second, f/18, ISO 200.

7 Likes
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I really like this. A very different BIF image and I do think the relatively sharp orange-red bill there is key to the success of this image. I do think that the red saturation is a little bit too much, Mark. Have you tried running this on any noise reduction software? If you use it judiciously, it can be quite good.

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I like this, Mark. A very different but effective image. The preview where the blur isn’t as obvious actually looks a little better, but viewed at a normal size and distance, I think this works very well. I find the spray in front of the bird fascinating and I haven’t been able to figure out how that happens unless its left over from the first impact of the beak tip when it’s pointed forward.

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Thanks @Adhika_Lie. I see what you mean about the noise, so I ran a very light Topaz Denoize AI on it, and also reduced the saturation a bit on the bill. I took down the original image and replaced it with the revised version. Thanks!

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Thanks @Dennis_Plank. As I mentioned, the overall blurriness is different for me, where I always want a sharp eye. That water spray pattern is something else!

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I really like this image. Beautiful, Somewhat abstract, yet recognizable. I might clean up some spots in the water and crop a very little off the top and the bottom.

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A lovely image and a unique way of showing the speed at which these birds operate. At that ss there is enough information to be able to id the bird which is good. The blur and contact of the beak with the water is great. I also wondered if a bit of a pano crop would add to the dynamic sense of motion.

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I like this image very much. Great use of a slower shutter to capture something completely different with a skimmer. You asked about the “blurriness” an does it work. Yes!! It does. Thanks for posting a different take on a subject we’ve all seen thousands of images of.

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@Ron_Biedenbach, @David_Leroy, and @Keith_Bauer - thanks for your replies. I’ll work on some of those editing ideas. Appreciate your feedback.

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What an awesome , creative action shot! Have been mainly paying attention to flowers lately but this photo just caught my eye! Really dramatic!

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I’m with everyone else. I love this–really creative. My only suggestion would be for a bit more room on the left, if you have it.

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I see I’m late to the party, but I’d echo all the other positive comments. Excellent job. I’d say it’s the blurriness that makes this shot.

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I do like this one a lot. I am totally with you than even with motion-induced blur in images it’s preferable to have something sharp in most cases. However, here it’s not at all missing for me, I love it as it is. Well done, making blurred images the way one envisions is not easy at all … Cheers, Hans

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Thank you @Kathy_Snead, @Lyle_Gruby, @Allen_Brooks, and @Hans_Overduin. It’s fun and challenging to use slow shutter speeds with fast moving subjects!

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Wonderful change of pace from the usual. Yes, the energy and motion definitely come through and I’m loving the blur.

1 Like