Learning from Experience

Canon EOS 7D, EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x Extender II @ 700mm, TV Priority @ f/5.6 (1/1600 sec), ISO 800, Exposure Compensation: +2/3, Handheld, JPG from RAW

Following on from my last posted image of the "Little Heron", the photo above was taken on my second and last day on the river near the end of my journey.

By this point I'd seen and missed so many opportunities with beautiful birds (for reason described in the aforementioned thread) I was beyond simple frustration and becoming thoroughly disheartened.

For the last hour or so we'd seen and chased downstream in our little boat two different species of Kingfisher (a Black-Capped and a Stork-Billed), but each time we spotted them again they were either situated on perches with far too much harsh light falling on them, or under thick foliage where practically no light was coming through at all, so I was constantly trying to quickly change my settings according to the next opportunity that presented itself. And each time I tried to line a shot up, though the guy steering the boat tried his best to keep us still in the moving current, I'd only manage a few awkward shots before the Kingfisher would fly off further downstream, and so the chase went on.

When this last Stork-Billed Kingfisher took off and flew out of sight around the next bend I thought, “Awww Great! That's the last we've seen of him for sure!”, and of course just as we rounded the same bend, on the bank closest to us barely metres away, there it was in plain sight but with his back to us shaking water from it's wings on a branch sheltered by an umbrella of leaves!

Fortunately we were running silent with the engine was off, as we were drifting with the current, and I was the first one to see him. In an instant I'd quickly twisted my body round as we passed him by enabling me to fire off a number of shots before it, or anyone else in the boat, knew what was happening. I must have fired off at least five or six frames feeling a sudden rush of elation at being sure I'd finally nailed at least one judging by the beautiful image I could see so clearly through my viewfinder … but that feeling of elation immediately turned into a moment of madness in my mind (OK, I must confess to also startling the guys in the boat somewhat when I shouted something that sounded remarkably like “Clucking Bell!!! at the top of my voice!) when I looked at the LCD panel only to find a virtually black screen for each of these shots ;^.

Somewhere upstream, just before we came across this golden opportunity, I'd inadvertently flipped the control wheel from AV (aperture) priority to TV (shutter) priority with a setting of 1/1600. I'm not ashamed to admit that at this point I was close to the brink of tears …...

Anyway, I decided to keep the images to see whether or not I might be able to salvage one or two once I got back home, and how glad I was that I did :^)

As pleased as I am with this image, I'm well aware it's far from perfect, but I'm inclined to like it all the more for the valuable discovery I made by way of this experience, insofar as realising that in certain unfavourable light conditions I'm better off using shutter priority than aperture priority to ensure a sharper image and as a way of avoiding irretrievably blown highlights, even if it means having to work on noise issues that come as a consequence of lightening the image in post processing.

PP: No crop (would have preferred the subject a little further away from the left-hand side, but hey, I'm not complaining!); brought the exposure up two full stops, and used selected PS Surface Blur on the BG trying to work less around the areas of the water droplets.

Should anyone have suggestions and/or advice on how I might be able to enhance this image still further, I would be very grateful to receive them :^)

Kind regards,

Ashley