Couldn’t get as low as I would have wanted for this shot but oh well! This was taken during the peak courting time of the elegant terns two Summers ago. We barely see this type of activity anymore in this wetland. I am not sure what changes.
All C&C are welcome. Is the image successful in telling the courtship story? Is the BG distracting?
D500, 500mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO 400 trying to get as many birds in focus as possible.
@adhikalie
This works very well for me in all aspects. Excellent action and behavior. POV is just fine for telling a story. And it is humorous. Excellent work.
Hi Adhika, I think this image does a good job showing the interaction among the birds even though I would not have necessarily thought courtship without your explanation (maybe I’m just being dense on that count). Love the hairdo’s of the birds and I like the background. A fine image.
Oh, this is super. I wouldn’t have known that they were courting, though, without your explanation. Undoubtedly, tern experts would know, though.
The background isn’t distracting at all. What is really great are their gestures. The left one with the wing pointing up and the right one with the beak in the air are just perfect. They make a nice triangle shape and frame the middle ones. And that right hand one just makes me laugh, with that “hairdo”.
A great interaction shot of the Terns, Adhika. I also love the hairdo. The background isn’t distracting at all to me. You did a great job with DOF, to get all of them sharp.
I think the background and the rest of the image are wonderful. About the only thing missing is the usual presentation of a small courting fish (unless that has already occurred, and she has accepted the offer).
Thanks, @David_Schoen, @Allen_Sparks, @Bonnie_Lampley, @Shirley_Freeman, and @Jim_Gavin.
Jim, good point about having the fish in the story. Looking at the burst sequence on LR, the fish was given but the rest of the crowd didn’t join in until a few seconds later and by this time the fish was already consumed.
What draws me is the hairdo and pose of the bird on the right which somewhat complement the action of the pair on the left. But you guys are right, this might not be apparent immediately without the title/description.
I love the composition, Adhika. All the birds poses work well together and form an integrated whole that really tells a story. Plus all the wild “hair-dos” add a lot of fun to the image.
Well, they hardly look elegant, but you certainly captured the action and feel of the courtship. I really like the colors, the action and the funky top knots. I really like your center placement and the crop, it really pulls you into each of the actors playing a part.
Excellent shot of this behavior and well composed, Adhika - it does tell the story well. The hairdos and interactions make this image for me. The angle works well for this behavior and provides some separation between the different birds. Nice choice of DOF - you got all the terms sharp. I would have loved to see some more details in the blacks.
Thanks, @Dennis_Plank, @Cheryl_Kuhl and @S_Govindarajan!
Ah yes, Govind, about that black. I think this is worth looking at again. Thanks for the input!
