Hoodie in flight

This was taken at a pond near a local golf course in early Spring. I had decent light, not too bright but enough light to get a fast moving bird. The color in the water is more a reflection of the trees than the actual color of the water.

Specific Feedback Requested

Any and all feedback is welcome.

Technical Details

600mm lens with 1.4 TC, f/8, 1/1600, ISO 250

5 Likes

Nailed it. Good detail in the head and a nice mix of detail and blur in the wings. I like the wing position and the color in the water.

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Very nice BIF shot, David. The head of these birds is amazing. The bird is in focus and I very much like the green reflection in the water. The wings are in a great position. Well done.

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This. Looks. Amazing. That hood! Those wings! The light! Wow. What a bird. The background…well, what can you do? The bird though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shot of one flying so I’m really happy you shared this.

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@David_Haynes - a very tough subject and you nailed this one. Great wing position makes this really special for my viewing pleasure. Techs are spot on. Nicely done!!

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All said above – just adding my Gold Star!! Superb image!

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Great techs and killer frame :heavy_heart_exclamation:

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No nits from me. I like the wing position and exposure is spot on with blacks and whites having excellent detail. Nicel shot!..Jim

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Excellent, David. Beautiful detail light, and wing position. If I had to come up with a nit, a bit more room all around might be nice.

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As said above - excellent image and great to see this species in flight. Great frame!

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Awesome shot David! I love all the details. Congrats!

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Hi David
Very nice photograph, the green reflection helps separate the bird from it’s background and the coloring and detail on the eye, head, and wings are helped by the channel of light this bird move through. nice work.
Peter

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Superbly done. A beautiful shot of a magnificent bird. Congrats on the EP.

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Thanks for your comments and critiques @Allen_Brooks, @Donna_Callais, @Kris_Smith, @Keith_Bauer, @Diane_Miller, @JRajput, @Jim_Zablotny, @Dennis_Plank, @Allen_Sparks, @Mark_Muller, @peter, @terryb. I very much appreciate it. Thank you Keith!

Wow, awesome capture, David. Never seen one captured in this pose if I remember correctly. Well-deserved EP! Cheers, Hans

Very impressive! Not easy to do and well deserved of the EP.

For some reason, I don’t think I expected to see the hood raised in flight. Great capture.

Thanks very much @David_Schoen, @Max_Waugh for your comments. When they are in flight they almost always have their hoods raised. Not sure why, but thats the way I’ve seen it. They are super fast, small and dont like people getting close to them so you dont see many flight shots. This pair at the pond was used to being around people but this was still a huge crop. I hope to get lucky with the female one of these years. :grin:

Great image, David. I have not played much with bird photography, but enough to appreciate the sharpness, and the wing position of the bird in flight. Congratulations!

Hi David! You captured the perfect in flight moment. Congratulations on the year end editors pick.