American Coot

Gallery: AvianPosted January 16, 2010171 views16 comments

Fulica americana

This image was taken in early December at a pond nearby. The pond is now frozen over and the birds have moved on to find other places with open water.

D200, Gitzo CF tripod, Black Widow head placed low to the ground. F7.1, 1/640, ISO 320, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, 82% of original image. No exposure compensation used.

I enjoy the challenge that coots provide in exposing them correctly and how funny they can be at times.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques, thank you for looking.

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on January 16, 2010 at 11:56 AM

Superb job on the exposure Mia. The color of the water compliments this Coot perfectly. Great head turn with nice eye contact. Overall a really nice image.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 16, 2010 at 12:41 PM

Love the dark water with this species. Nice detail. No suggestions for improvement, just a well made photo!

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Mason on January 16, 2010 at 2:44 PM

It doesn't get any better than this. The larger version is a feast for the eyes. Beautiful tones and astonishing detail. I love the delicate patterns in the water too.

Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments

Comment posted by Joel DeYoung on January 16, 2010 at 4:49 PM

Wow, great details, and you really nailed the exposure! And check out that eye. Well done.

Registered on July 12, 2009, 92 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on January 16, 2010 at 4:58 PM

That is an incredibly good exposure. I always blow out their bill. Love the details and the water. The reflection, although broken, enhances the image greatly. My favorite part of coots is their funny feet.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 16, 2010 at 5:09 PM

Excellent. I'm a big fan of understated images with little color like this.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on January 16, 2010 at 5:43 PM

You did a good job with the exposure here Mia. The angle is just high enough for a reflection too.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on January 16, 2010 at 6:12 PM

Nice detail in the blacks and in the bill as well.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 16, 2010 at 7:18 PM

I can't recall seeing a better exposed coot Mia. The bill and shield look great and the blacks have exceptional detail and their color looks just right to my eye. The water is beautiful, good look at the eye and the coot is very sharp. I also really like the head and beak reflection. I like this a lot.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 16, 2010 at 10:01 PM

You certainly met the exposure challenge well on this one, Mia. The whitest part of that bill must be extremely difficult to expose correctly.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 16, 2010 at 11:34 PM

The water is beautiful, Mia, and the detail in the Coot is great. To my eye, it seems to have more room above the Coot than necessary. I love the browns reflected in the ripples.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 17, 2010 at 3:14 AM

Thumbnail doesn't do this justice Mia - the larger image has amazing detail and you've certainly met the challenge of coot exposure

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 17, 2010 at 8:22 AM

cute pose, beautiful water, great details, and the usual perfect techs. Gorgeous, Mia.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Wilson on January 17, 2010 at 11:51 AM

Great Coot image - technically excellent and great complimentary colours in the water.

Registered on May 17, 2006, 70 Posts, 1166 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on January 17, 2010 at 2:27 PM

You've captured the subtle coot nuances exceptionaly well here Mia.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Dubois on January 17, 2010 at 2:38 PM

Another very good shot Mia. You've particularly nailed the techs on this image well. My preference would be to crop a little off the top as the interest in the image is more on the lower part of the water and the coot's reflection.

Registered on February 22, 2005, 129 Posts, 4739 Comments