Least Bittern Juvie

Gallery: AvianPosted July 22, 2012428 views23 comments

I recently added a kayak to my photography arsenal and I'm loving it. This image is from yesterday on Armand Bayou just outside Houston. Young Least Bittern hanging out in typical habitat - I love the spread eagle stance and the white fuzz on the head.

1DMK4, 300 2.8II, 1.4III TC, f5.0, 1/1600, ISO 640
Manual exp., spot metered, hand held from kayak, 60% of FF

Comments and critiques welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on July 22, 2012 at 6:41 PM

Wonderful image, Randy. Love the excellent pose and eye level angle. The vertical reeds add a nice composition element.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on July 22, 2012 at 7:09 PM

Randy well done, nice detail.
You will get great photo opportunities from the water and the up-close advantage that a Kayak gives you is a real advantage.
Congragulations on your weekly pick last week, well deserved.

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on July 22, 2012 at 8:34 PM

A nice one Randy. The pose of the youngster is great, and the down on the head, legs and abdomen are the icing on the cake.

A kayak does have a lot of advantage, but do not drop that very expensive camera in the water! Hope you have good insurance.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on July 22, 2012 at 8:38 PM

This is just an awesome image - habitat, scruff of a juvenile, nice lighting, clear look at the bird, kudos to you

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

Comment posted by Rick Turner on July 22, 2012 at 11:20 PM

Great results Randy. Gotta love those feet. God bless Texas

Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 22, 2012 at 11:22 PM

Superb, Randy. Extremely crisp, lovely light and a great pose in habitat. They don't get any better. Have you experimented with a vertical presentation? Might have even more punch.

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

Comment posted by Rebecka on July 22, 2012 at 11:30 PM

Fabulous image. I won't repeat what everyone else said, but I like all the same attributes.

(And if I had your gear, I'd be shaking in my shoes to get in a kayak with it!)

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on July 23, 2012 at 1:05 AM

Typical place and stance; nice image especially hand held from the kayak.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 23, 2012 at 1:43 AM

Wonderful image!
Kayaks are great for not scaring off the birds, but I hope it's VERY stable with your nice gear.
Excellent pose and detail, and love the baby fuzz and big feet. Nice light and the reeds add a lot.

Sandy

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on July 23, 2012 at 3:25 AM

Always a great subject and I like the pose and inclusion of habitat.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 23, 2012 at 8:28 AM

The angle and POV the kayak gave you is perfect for this shot Randy! One of the better Least Bittern images I have seen posted in awhile. I would be way to nervous about getting my gear wet. Do you use a water proof casing when you go?

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on July 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Simply love this one in every way!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on July 23, 2012 at 1:12 PM

This is awesome Randy!!! Great pose, love that fuzzy hair doo. The large version is a pleasure to view, nice details and exposure work.

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by David Williams on July 23, 2012 at 5:53 PM

Really a cool pose, Randy. Love the fluff, and this guy really stands out against that dark green everywhere. Love it! Looks like that kayak is going to pay off handsomely.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on July 23, 2012 at 8:01 PM

Congrats on a fabulous image! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on July 26, 2012 at 4:38 AM

Love the classic pose Randy

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on July 26, 2012 at 6:40 PM

Very nice Randy, love the pose you caught here!
Can't add anymore to what's been said, just some mighty fine work here dude

Well done

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 1, 2012 at 2:34 PM

Congrats on a fine WP!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by David Haynes on August 1, 2012 at 8:03 PM

Randy,
Congrats on the WP and a killer image. Glad you're loving that kayak. Opens up a whole new world and opportunities abound. Super sweet image.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Toya Heatley on August 2, 2012 at 12:24 AM

Congrats on the WP :) Great shot!

Registered on June 13, 2012, 36 Posts, 98 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on August 2, 2012 at 12:57 PM

A terrific image and a well-deserved EP.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on August 4, 2012 at 9:28 AM

Congrats on a well deserved EP. Beautiful!

Peter

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

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on August 7, 2012 at 5:02 PM

I missed seeing this in the Avian section, so I'm glad you got a weekly pick. I like the composition, background and the lighting. Great job.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments