Conducting Puffin

Gallery: AvianPosted January 20, 2012888 views22 comments

When I was photographing Puffins last summer I tried very hard to get a good BIF shot, but these birds are small, very fast and I really don't have the right equipment for BIF. (At least those are all of the excuses I can think of right now!) I was happy though to get this shot of a puffin preparing for flight.

Edit: I changed the name of this photo based on some comments I received. Thanks for the idea!

Canon 5D
300mm f/4L IS
1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 400
80% of full frame
handheld
6-27-11, 10:24 am

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on January 20, 2012 at 4:55 PM

Looks good to me . Great light and backdrop too.
JR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 20, 2012 at 5:58 PM

Love this pose and BG with the blue there Carol.
Very good details, exposure and colors, nice comp too..These birds are very photogenic!
Well done & have a great weekend

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Siggins on January 20, 2012 at 6:45 PM

Great job. I like the background. Looks like clouds and sky. The eyes and beak look to be nice and sharp. Pretty nice shooting!

Registered on October 11, 2007, 115 Posts, 223 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 20, 2012 at 6:57 PM

This is a beauty! Love the pose, excellent detail, the bits of colour in the rock add interest, and a great BG.
My only suggestion- and a very tiny nit - would be to lightren up the dark BG areas behind thre bird and below it at the rock's edge.
Really nice!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 20, 2012 at 7:20 PM

Nice pose, certainly frozen at 1/5000. You did a good job on the exposure and I like the way the ruffled black feathers on the wing and back show detail and texture. Composition works very well for me. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Rebecka on January 20, 2012 at 7:23 PM

Beautiful! Where were you photographing them exactly?

Registered on February 5, 2009, 170 Posts, 924 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Frye on January 20, 2012 at 7:36 PM

Great job on getting the expoure right -- detail in blacks without throwing out the whites. Lovely colors and great background --

Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments

Comment posted by Neil Rossmiller on January 20, 2012 at 7:42 PM

This is well done, Carol
The only thing I would like to see is slightly more detail in bright white of the breast feathers.
Good stuff.
Neil

Registered on October 30, 2009, 156 Posts, 749 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on January 20, 2012 at 10:32 PM

Hi Carol;

Are you sure the Puffin is not conducting a symphony? just kidding :biggrin....... lovely pose, and superb detail The exposure and color are perfect

Albert Darmo

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 20, 2012 at 11:36 PM

What a great image. You've taken an already too cute bird and gotten a great pose. Looks like he is conducting. Maybe a remake of Bye, Bye, Birdie

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on January 21, 2012 at 5:42 AM

Great job holding the details together in the blacks and whites Carol! Awesome pose you captured of this beauty

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Nichols on January 21, 2012 at 8:17 AM

Thanks for your coments everyone. I like the "conducting" puffin idea - I think I may have to change the name of the image! Rebecka - My puffin photos were taken on Machias Seal Island, off the coast of Maine.

Registered on November 7, 2007, 161 Posts, 1420 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on January 21, 2012 at 10:05 AM

Carol, so cute! And so well done! Great job with the sharp foreground and nice blurry background.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on January 21, 2012 at 12:07 PM

Great light, detail and wing position. These guys are so animated looking.

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

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on January 21, 2012 at 1:18 PM

Wish you had included the orchestra he was directing as well

Great shot, I really like the pose ! Congrats, cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on January 21, 2012 at 3:06 PM

Perfectly titled. I like it as is.

luca

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 21, 2012 at 9:56 PM

I'd be very happy with this too, Carol. great pose and comp, nice setting, and very sharp. definitely a cool image.

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on January 22, 2012 at 10:23 AM

Applause! beautiful shot Carol.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 22, 2012 at 6:56 PM

Very nice detail in the larger version Carol. I like the bird and the BG really adds interest. Nice!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 24, 2012 at 10:47 AM

Just now seeing this one, excellent pose with the wing spread. I really like the composition with the shadow and background, excellent shot, way to cool.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on January 24, 2012 at 11:04 AM

Awesome caputre Carol. Love the pose, the perch and the background.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Manjot Singh on February 12, 2013 at 2:58 PM

GREAT PICTURE I ALWAYS LIKE ACTION PICTURE HANDHELD .. CONGRATS!!

Registered on May 10, 2012, 25 Posts, 66 Comments