Common Eider up Close!

Gallery: AvianPosted January 21, 20049,368 views28 comments

I spent some time working with some very cooperative eiders yesterday morning. This guy was lounging next to where I was parked. I really liked the vivid colors in this shot. Thanks for looking!

Canon D60/600mm IS/1.4x II/ cropped ~30%

1/1250 sec, f/9.0
Mode: Av
Metering: Evaluative
Exp comp: -2/3
ISO: 200

Comments

28 comments

Comment posted by Ruediger Merz on January 21, 2004 at 2:21 PM

Greate image, Garth. The detail in the bird is super. And I never saw this bird before.
Thanks for sharing.

Ruediger

Registered on November 1, 2003, 82 Posts, 399 Comments

Comment posted by Bob Steele on January 21, 2004 at 2:32 PM

I want one!!!!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 354 Posts, 13896 Comments

Comment posted by Juza on January 21, 2004 at 2:43 PM

Hi Garth,
this is a killer photo

I like the pastel colors and the wave is super bonus

Registered on November 1, 2003, 374 Posts, 10466 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Steele on January 21, 2004 at 3:28 PM

What a wonderful combination of colors and excellant comp. The only nit I would have is, it would be nice to see just a tad more head room.

Gary

Registered on January 4, 2004, 16 Posts, 137 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Heironymus on January 21, 2004 at 3:39 PM

Fantastic portrait! Great color and detail!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 36 Posts, 1110 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zipp on January 21, 2004 at 4:46 PM

Spectacular shot Garth!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 86 Posts, 940 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Palmer on January 21, 2004 at 5:18 PM

Now I know why eider down is so soft. The feathers seem to reach out and tell you, make a pillow out of me. Great shot!

Registered on November 13, 2003, 132 Posts, 367 Comments

Comment posted by Justin on January 21, 2004 at 5:51 PM

Excellent shot.Stunning colours.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 106 Posts, 1697 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce Sherman on January 21, 2004 at 6:46 PM

Garth,
Wonderful shot of a beautiful bird. All the eiders I have shot look like little dots.

Registered on November 9, 2003, 165 Posts, 1116 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Bates on January 21, 2004 at 7:09 PM

Garth..this is WAY COOL!! Perfect exposure, detail and composition! A WINNER!!

Michael

Registered on November 1, 2003, 149 Posts, 2381 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Muskie on January 21, 2004 at 7:35 PM

It almost doesn't look real. This is fabulous, Garth.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 26 Posts, 218 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Royse on January 21, 2004 at 8:45 PM

Registered on November 1, 2003, 218 Posts, 2427 Comments

Comment posted by Christopher Cove on January 21, 2004 at 9:07 PM

Wow, stunning detail. I just love the colors. I would so love to be this close to this guy!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 17 Posts, 208 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Davidson on January 21, 2004 at 9:10 PM

Remember asking what I wanted to shoot

?
Absolutely stunning Garth!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 38 Posts, 815 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Hoberg on January 21, 2004 at 9:36 PM

Too good to be true!!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 133 Posts, 469 Comments

Comment posted by Pete Parker on January 21, 2004 at 10:18 PM

That is some beautiful color Garth. Well done.

Pete

Registered on November 9, 2003, 29 Posts, 184 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Fusco on January 21, 2004 at 10:50 PM

Great shot, Garth!

BTW, please quit "short-stoping" those redpolls up there so more will make it down here!!!

- Paul

Registered on November 17, 2003, 283 Posts, 1163 Comments

Comment posted by Pete Arnold on January 22, 2004 at 12:38 AM

Garth, if you wouldn't consider it giving away your trade secrets, it would be nice to know what actions you took in PS to get to the shot as it appears. It would also be helpful to know what your settings were!

As has been noted above many times, this is indeed a great shot!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 15 Posts, 32 Comments

Comment posted by Daniella T. on January 22, 2004 at 1:32 AM

oh my what a beauty!! The tonal range of color is amazing, including the substle shade of pastel green on the neck. This is one photo that I would love to hang on my wall!

Registered on January 9, 2004, 41 Posts, 512 Comments

Comment posted by Skip Layman on January 22, 2004 at 8:28 AM

Garth,
Great job of capturing the subtle beauty of this Eider. This is about 100x closer than I have ever gotten to one of these. Terrific shot.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 558 Posts, 1704 Comments

Comment posted by Matthew Pugh on January 22, 2004 at 8:45 AM

A very cool image, thanks for sharing

Regards
Matthew

Registered on November 1, 2003, 72 Posts, 1230 Comments

Comment posted by Jasper Doest on January 22, 2004 at 11:04 AM

The beauty of Eiders is often underestimated....especially the males are truly amazing as this photographs shows. EXCELLENT colors and sharpness. Great shot!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 371 Posts, 2101 Comments

Comment posted by Garth McElroy on January 22, 2004 at 11:15 AM

Sorry about not posting the techs. I need to be better about that!

I usually post from my notebook and all the EXIF stuff is on the workstation.

Other than a slight S/H adjustment in PS CS I did nothing other than the normal sharpening after down sizing. This shot was taken early in the morning on a cold clear day. My favorite for winter sea ducks. The blue sky reflects in the cold water and you get some killer saturated shots. You may lose a few fingers and toes but it's worth it!

1/1250 sec, f/9.0
Mode: Av
Metering: Evaluative
Exp comp: -2/3
ISO: 200

Registered on November 1, 2003, 248 Posts, 4406 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Richardson on January 22, 2004 at 6:02 PM

Hi Garth

Great detail, colours & BG.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 34 Posts, 304 Comments

Comment posted by Milo Burcham on January 23, 2004 at 2:37 AM

Spectacular, wish I had these in our boat harbor! You handled the details perfectly.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 80 Posts, 584 Comments

Comment posted by Herman Blockx on February 2, 2004 at 6:36 AM

Sorry that I missed this one but this is really on of the best eider shots I've ever seen!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 238 Posts, 760 Comments

Comment posted by Kenneth Kijewski on February 18, 2004 at 1:16 PM

This is stunning!!

Registered on February 17, 2004, 166 Posts, 3390 Comments

Comment posted by Laura Bailey on October 17, 2005 at 9:16 AM

That ripple just under the eider is amazing. What a gorgeous bird and beautiful shot. This is just stunning.

Registered on October 15, 2005, 4 Posts, 8 Comments