Western Grebe

Gallery: AvianPosted May 16, 2010110 views18 comments

Western Grebe ( Aechmophorus occidentalis)

Place: Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Date: March 21, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, aperture priority spot metered, 1/350th @ f/8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, modest crop

I haven't had much time for productive shooting lately, so here's yet another shot from March's close encounter with a Western Grebe at the Gilbert Water Ranch.

Please view the larger version if possible before commenting. Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

18 comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on May 16, 2010 at 10:24 PM

Superb capture-tack sharp, gorgeous water BG, and the red eye...wow!

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on May 16, 2010 at 10:32 PM

Love that water and sharp bill

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

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

Nice image, Richard. The extra feather tuft at the base of the beak is a fun touch. Good angle and beautiful water.

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

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on May 16, 2010 at 11:41 PM

Striking image Richard. Seems like remarkable exposure control to me. The bird is beautiful but the water no less so. Gorgeous.

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on May 16, 2010 at 11:56 PM

Rich, I like the exposure and detail here a lot, and the bird is well-placed within the image, both in terms of comp and also the way the bill fits in midway between those big white bars in the water. I like the water here immediately around the bird, but the coarser big bright white bars in fg and bg I think detract a little.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on May 17, 2010 at 12:38 AM

NIce details and I like the feather on the beak. I wasn't sure about the water but it's growing on me, it's certainly interesting.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on May 17, 2010 at 12:45 AM

Seems like the backlighting really helped to control the whites. Not a bad idea.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on May 17, 2010 at 6:25 AM

You got your 10 minutes worth Richard - really like the water in this and how it contrasts with the detail in the bird

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Bill Maile on May 17, 2010 at 11:21 AM

Richard, the bird looks spot-on gorgeous, just the water bright spot near the mid-neck white kind of blends together. That is MINOR on my part. This is absolutely gorgeous. The water is simply fantastic, up there with the best I've seen on here. Congratulations!!

Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on May 17, 2010 at 12:50 PM

nice, really looks good large. the abstract patterns in the water and the contrast between the water and the grebe make this work

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on May 17, 2010 at 2:34 PM

Hi Richard,

I looked at this image for a very long time and I think the more one sees of it the more fond of it one becomes. The Grebe is very cool of course and the eye is great. The little feather at the bill base adds interest too. Its the water though that sets this one apart. At first it seemed too bright to me but the more I looked the better I liked it. The silvers so complement the Grebe.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on May 17, 2010 at 5:44 PM

Richard:
Charlie's correct about the backlighting facilitating the capture of detail in the whites. And the water BG does grow on one - the silver is wonderful, it's the white areas that are initially distracting. Western Grebes are rare in my area and I've never seen one close-up, so I'm enjoying this nice view of the beautiful bird.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on May 17, 2010 at 6:14 PM

Awesome!!
I think the white in the water adds a dream like quality to a stunning image.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on May 17, 2010 at 6:54 PM

The colors of the rippling water seem to complement the curves of the grebe. Very nice!

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on May 17, 2010 at 7:57 PM

The grebe is superb and so are all the water tones in my book Rich. I may be wrong but I can imagine you grinning when you posted this, anticipating how we all might react to the whites in the water. Personally, I wasn't sure about them at first but what made the difference for me was the neck reflection in the foreground white patch - not sure why but it did.

Love your exposure on the bird and the feather on the bill.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on May 17, 2010 at 8:30 PM

Rich,

The water is what first "wowed" me, it is gorgeous and unusual. The grebe... exceptional. Great exposure control of a challenging subject. An all around delightful image to view.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on May 17, 2010 at 8:52 PM

Wow, Richard i really like the almost metallic feel to the water as well as the mix of colors all over. great detail and exposure on the whites as well

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on May 17, 2010 at 11:38 PM

The water looks magical in this one Richard. Another great capturee of a bird I cannot get close to. Congratulations for making this look easy when I know it isn't. Exposure and detial is terrific!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments