Kingfisher Portrait, male
Dec, 2020Views
654
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 22
Spring 21 Award
People's Choice in Birds Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Superior Skill
Emotions
Impressed
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Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
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RichardAnthonyLee
February 11, 2021
Congratulations on your peoples choice award in the Birds competition, great image.
kens2
February 11, 2021
remarkable image Steve, really well done and congrats on the peoples choice award 😀👍👍👍👍
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I have been trying for over a year to capture a high quality clean close up of a Kingfisher and finally achieved this on the River Stour (UK). My past shots have been taken from a distance as the bird tends to sit on the opposite riverbank to the path and nervous of any movement. I was hunched down sitting dead still with the light slightly behind me, waiting near an adjoining stream to the main river. I realised from observing a Litte Egret a week earlier that small fish get pushed into the main river by the current. There was also a lovely branch just above the stream and I got quite a few shots off when he eventually flew over and dropped into the water, returning to the branch with a fish in its mouth before flying off - Wow!Time
It was around 2pm in Nov on a cold winters day.Lighting
The light on the day was just right with hazy Sunshine. This means no hard shadows, which can easily spoil a bird image.Equipment
The shot was taken on a Canon 77DD with 100-400mm Mk II zoom, handheld.Inspiration
I have always been captivated by the striking colours and streamline form of the Kingfisher from a child, seeing pictures in bird books. When you first seen one Its smaller than you think. Its a magical moment and you just have to stop and stare because there is no other bird in the Uk with such amazing aura. Being a photographer you have to quickly get over this and start shooting as they can all too often fly off as soon as they sense you.Editing
Apart from the usual basic post processing using Lightroom and a slight crop I use DenoiseAI software as a rule because I am usually shooting at high shutter speeds and hence high ISO to capture birds in flight and freeze any movement, as when birds are perched they rarely sit still. This was taken at ISO 200 so the noise wasn't too bad, but I wanted the photo to have that edge on detailIn my camera bag
Being mobile I travel light and In addition to the Canon kit above I have a 1.4x teleconverter which help me capture birds from a further distance. The drawback with this is that it loses 1.4 stops of light which means higher ISO and noise, so restricts your shooting to good light conditions, but it gets you the shot!Feedback
For wild bird close ups you really need at least 400mm lens, as you can rarely get much closer than 20ft. You also need to keep your distance so you don't disturb the bird, especially as it may by its nest with young. I set up my camera for Shutter priority and auto ISO. This lets you prioritise the Shutter speed depending on the shot being taken. For example I use a min shutter speed of 1/500 sec for perched birds (IS on) and 1/1600 sec for larger birds in flight and 1/2000 for smaller birds. I also under expose by 2/3 of a stop to ensure no burn out of any whites and shoot in RAW. to enable detail to be captured in the shadows. When it comes to capturing a Kingfisher they can usually be found hunting along rivers and streams that are clean and flowing well. They will often perch on branches a few feet above the water line, looking for their prey. Easier to spot in the winter due to the lack of foliage. Because of their small size its easy to miss them, so walk slowly and take your time. As with all nature shots you need to put in the time and be ready when that moment happens :)
