World Champion at the Fast Bath

Many, many years ago when stationed on a submarine, we used to practice “submarine showers” which were a water saving idea from the pre-nuclear days. I thought I took fast showers, but this little Willow Flycatcher is in a league of its own. I still haven’t gotten a decent image of it in the water, but at the 7DII’s maximum frame rate of 10 fps, I do have one blurry sequence. It’s in the water for 1 frame. To the eye, it’s as if it bounces off, but as you can see, it does get quite wet. It will repeat multiple times before it’s satisfied.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Not a lot done to this one. Just a couple of poo spots cleaned up, a slight crop and minor adjustments to the bird to make it pop a bit more.
Any comments welcome.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Anything you note.

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

7DII, Sigma 150-600 C @ 421mm, tripod with ball head and Sidekick, f/8, 1/500, iso 2000, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. Noise reduction with Neat Image. Cropped to 18.5 MP. Taken July 3 at 11:15 am at the larger of my two blind ponds (all of about 2 feet x 4 feet).

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Wonderful shot of this cute little guy, Dennis. I know you feel a bit disappointed that you haven’t quite got the shot that you wanted, but to me, that becomes my photo challenge and I kind of enjoy that. But I would say, even it isn’t the shot you were looking for, this certainly is still a wall hanger. That is a really nice perch for him, and he did pose nicely for you. Hope you get that shot your are hoping for of him in the middle of his bath.

Hi Dennis, another really nice wet bird image. The pose is striking and the wet look adds interest to the shot. Fine details. Very nice perch too. Well done!

At least it’s clean! Wet birds are occasionally a challenge. Nice detail color, perch, and background. The water drops on the plumage look great.