bempton gannets 8756 copy
gannets at Bempton cliffs RSPB
gannets at Bempton cliffs RSPB
Read less
Read less
Nov, 2013Views
126
Likes
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
All Star
Jaw Dropping
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 20 rank
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Bempton on the North Yorkshire coast, an RSPB site where there are thousands of gannets nesting, breeding and feeding along a couple of miles of high cliffs.Time
I got up early on a dull August morning and spent an hour along a half mile stretch of the cliffs. Most visitors come earlier in the summer to see puffins, cormorants and razorbills, but even at the end of the summer there can be some jostling for a good shot in the middle of the day. I was early enough to be on my own.Lighting
It was a dull morning, and the gannets were 20 metres away, so I had to balance the need for ISOs against the quality of the image. I always prefer to err on the side of underexposing; white feathers would heighten the risk of overexposure, too.Equipment
I used a Canon 5D mkii with a 80-400mm Sigma lens, handheld. Heavy, but I rested on a fencepost, and the lens has a stabiliser.Inspiration
There are a lot of great photos of gannets around and in mating season it's not hard to find a pair doing this beautiful neck dance. The hard part is getting close enough when their habitat is the cliff face! But I knew if I could get close enough, the sea makes a foolproof background and the blue rings around the eyes, bold black facial markings and cream and white necks gave me a good chance of a memorable shot.Editing
Light was low and I like to underexpose rather than overexpose, because digital is more forgiving to an underexposed shot in post-processing. In Lightroom I boosted exposure and clarified the area around the beak and eyes. I also cropped thinking mostly about the shape between the birds, which seemed to be key to composition.In my camera bag
I always carry my Canon 5D mkii, and a range of lenses. The Sigma is my longest, and I also have a canon 100mm fixed, a canon wide-angle zoom and the canon 18-80mm which is usually mounted. Cleaning equipment, filters and spare battery are always in the bag too. I cycle to a lot of my shoots so have to do without a tripod, and I don't even own a flash.Feedback
Gannets are a wonderful subject during breeding season especially, and you can find out where colonies nest near you and when they are breeding in many ways. Organisations such as the RSPB can link you to all their sites, and there are twitter feeds for bird lovers, magazines and websites galore. You need a long lens - you won't get within about 20 metres. And be open-minded. These birds were just over a slight bump, so their lower bodies were obscured by grass. But their necks were in view, and it was as close as I was going to get, so I realised I could crop out unwanted foreground clutter.
