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Red-footed Booby

Red-footed Booby at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kaua'i Hawai'i (2019 March 28)

Red-footed Booby at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kaua'i Hawai'i (2019 March 28)
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NIKON D5100

settings

Aperture 63/10 ISO 400 Shutter 10/32000 Focal Length 2400/10

upload_date

Apr, 2020

Views

321

Likes

+20

Awards

People's Choice in No tripod Photo Challenge

Peer Award

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Superb Composition

All Star

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 30 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo of a Red-footed Booby was shot at K?lauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kaua'i Hawai'i U.S.A.

Time

I shot this photo at 12:31PM HST (2019 March 28).

Lighting

The lighting provided was the sun partially hidden behind the clouds as it was threatening to rain. You cannot see the clouds in the blue sky background - I was lucky enough to shoot the photo against the bit of blue sky.

Equipment

I was shooting with my Nikon D5100 and a Tamron 18-400mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD Model B028 fitted with a ProMaster 72mm Circular Polarizer (I only had a chance to shoot a few test shots with this new lens before going to Hawai'i for a week.) I shot at 240mm f/6.3 1/3200 sec ISO 400 Manual White Balance set at "Cloudy" Exposure -0.33 eV step Spot Metering. I was hand holding the camera and lens.

Inspiration

Having the opportunity to be in Kaua'i was inspiration enough but I am a birder and was absolutely in awe and ecstatic when a Red-Footed Booby (a birding 'lifer' for me) landed in a nearby tree. I held my breath, aimed and shot. I am sure I was holding my breath the whole time I was composing and shooting the photo.

Editing

This photo was shot in JPEG format. The post-processing I did was to crop the photo a bit and do a minor adjustment to lighting using ACDSee Pro 6,

In my camera bag

When I went to Kaua'i in March 2019, I traveled only with my Nikon D5100 and the Tamron 18-400mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD Model B028 lens (fitted with a ProMaster 72mm Circular Polarizer) along with my point and shoot Nikon P510 and Samsung S8+ SM-6955W cellular phone. When I am at home, I have my Nikon D750, D200 and D5100 cameras in my bags along with my Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II,a Tamron SP 24-70MM F/2.8 Di VC USD, a Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD Lens, and a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens. I also always have my Samsung S8+ SM-6955W cellular phone with me (I like to use it when I want or need a wider angle photo.)

Feedback

My advice for others is to shoot as often as you can and take time to look around you for photo opportunities. If you are shooting wildlife of any kind, before you lift the camera to shoot, ensure you are giving the animal the respect it deserves. Keep your distance, use a long lens, and do not stay longer than a few minutes. Learn the habits of the animals you are shooting.... that way you can anticipate their moves to get a better shot and to recognize the animal's reaction to your presence. Take advantage of the lighting - when it is sunny or when it is cloudy or if rain or any other weather system is moving in, and play with your f stops. Take more than one photo... you can always delete it if it doesn't turn out. My advice is to try different camera settings as well. Most of all, have fun!!

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Red-footed Booby

Red-footed Booby at Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Kaua'i Hawai'i (2019 March 28)

Behind The Lens

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