Nightmare Fuel

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1

cormorantflightless0225ec21.jpg
cormorantflightless0225ec21.jpg1024×849 434 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Let me start by saying that I’m not an underwater photographer. I’ve can count the number of times I’ve used any sort of housing on my cameras on one hand, so I’m a complete novice. This photo was taken during my February Galapagos trip, over five years since my last attempt at underwater photography.

I had purchased a used Nauticam housing (my first “proper” housing) years ago, and held onto one of my old DSLR bodies in the off chance that I’d get another opportunity to take some underwater pictures. The Galapagos finally gave me that chance, with snorkeling opportunities nearly every day… and not just with fish. I had hopes for decent sea lion action, turtles, and hopefully penguins and Flightless Cormorants.

This was probably the most memorable encounter, when a Flightless Cormorant came after me. I suspect that it might have spied its reflection in my dome when it got aggressive. As I was trying to back away, I kept snapping. It soon tried more bite-sized morsels, investigating the kids in our group.

This isn’t the clearest image in the sequence, but the underexposure due to that light sky added an ominous and somewhat haunting feel to the scene, which I felt matched the aggressive nature of the encounter. :wink: Note that I do not have strobes, so I was only working in natural light… it was a plus in this case, IMO.

Technical Details

Canon 1DXII
Canon 17-40mm
ISO 1000
1/500th
f/14
Nauticam Housing

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2 Likes
2

You get the prize for the strangest bird picture! And for the fact that it was coming after you! I was expecting that a fish had just left the frame. Wonderful abstract “BG” too!

1 Like
3

This is very cool, Max and a neat story to go with it. Definitely the stuff of nightmares with the black and white treatment and that “ferocious” beak. There are times when content trumps technical perfection and this is one of them.

4

No conversion here, by the way. You can barely see some blues in there. It’s just the way it turned out with the extreme light and dark tones (also, a blackish bird). I could have brought out more detail with some shadow work, I suppose… but that would’ve diffused the creepy feel of the whole thing!

5

Cool shot Max with such an eerie and daunting feel. I like the separation of light and dark in the water. The bird looks quite menacing.

1 Like
6

I love this! My first reaction was just wow! Nice work!!

1 Like