davidianhiggins
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Winner in World Penguin Day - 25th of April Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Animal Kingdom Photo Contest Vol 1
Runner Up in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 6
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 6
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hansenklaar
March 03, 2016
So jealous I was in the Falklands and wanted to see these fellows but was told the tours were booked out. Love your picture.
Coveboy53
March 08, 2016
great shot. Superb composition of the birds that swim so well but walk like they have bleeding hemorrhoids :-) Great timing with the heads forward. Patrick
amytychx
March 15, 2016
Brilliant! Definitely should be the winner of the image of the month. I agree with Yanid.
catherinethompson
April 10, 2016
Love this one can just see them waddling down to the water. Well done.
catherinethompson
April 10, 2016
Love this one can just see them waddling down to the water. Well done.
terrysigns13
June 16, 2016
You couldn't have directed this any better!
Delightfully Good!!
Congrats of being selected as a finalist an the Animal Kingdom Contest. This is so deserving of the win. Keep entering it,,,it has "Winner" written all over it!
Delightfully Good!!
Congrats of being selected as a finalist an the Animal Kingdom Contest. This is so deserving of the win. Keep entering it,,,it has "Winner" written all over it!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands.Time
This was just before mid day on a sunny but cold Falklands summer day.Lighting
The light was harsh resulting in some issues with over exposure, especially with the contrast between the light sands and the dark heads of the king penguins.Equipment
Canon 7d, Sigma 300mm f2.8 set at 7.1, ISO 200 and shutter speed of 1/800. I was laid down on the sand as they approached me to try and get a good angle of the penguins as they waddled over the crest and down to the beach as they headed out on a hunting trip.Inspiration
Volunteer Point is a must see for wildlife lovers visiting the Falklands, I wasn't sure what to expect, other than there being penguins there. I was pleasantly surprised by the proximity and number of the seabirds on arrival, and the light sand beach. I watched the king penguins traverse from the rookery to the sea over the crest, through the sea cabbage and across the beach. I wanted a low angled shot so laid down in a hollow and waited till a group headed my way. The wind was cold but the biggest worry was the sand being blown at the camera so I used a dry bag while I waited and then snapped lots of shots over the next few hours.Editing
Very little, just basic stuff such as contrast, clarity, saturation and exposure but not to any large degree.In my camera bag
• Canon 5d MK III • Canon 7d • Canon 500mm L series IS f4 • Canon 70 - 200mm f2.8 • Canon 100mm f2.8 macro • Canon 24 - 105mm L series IS f4 • Canon 17 - 40mm L series f4 • Canon Speedlite 600 EX - RT Flashgun • Canon MT - 24 EX Macro Twin Lite • Tripod, spare batteries, 9 memory cards (total: 254gb ), Lee Big Stopper filterFeedback
Make sure you have a full day there or book accommodation at the nearby B&B. The drive in is over open moorland and takes some time, be prepared for a bumpy trip. There will be lots of opportunities to get shots during the breeding season so head there during the southern summer. Outside of the rookeries you can get very close to the birds but its better to watch the routes they follow and get hunkered down close to a track so as not to disturb them. If you sit just outside the rookeries the chicks of the Gentoo penguins will come right up to you so have a macro lens/wide angle as well as a decent zoom/telephoto lens. Take lots of memory cards as the temptation to take photos is overwhelming, aside from jackass, Gentoo and king penguins we saw peregrine falcons, giant petrels, oystercatchers, dotterels, variated hawks and a sea lion hunt and kill a Gentoo penguin.