jamieedwardcorsby

king penguins of volunteer point

king penguins and babies at volunteer point in the Falkland islands

king penguins and babies at volunteer point in the Falkland islands
Read less

Canon EOS 60D

settings

Aperture f/4.5 ISO 200 Shutter 1/1000 Focal Length 84/1

upload_date

May, 2017

Views

1006

Likes

+107

Awards

Lucky 3 Award

Peer Choice Award

Contest Finalist in Wildlife Photo Contest 2017

Peer Award

+46

Top Choice

Superb Composition

Magnificent Capture

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at Volunteer Point - the largest king penguin colony in the Falkland Islands - during a detachment with the RAF in 2016.

Time

The Falkland Islands is one of the few places we're deployed where it's possible to leave the confindes of camp, so seeing the local wildlife and scenery is encouraged. I traveled to Volunteer Point with other servicemen and women via helicopter, and took this photo during a four hour excursion in the afternoon.

Lighting

The sun was low and the weather was very changeable due to the Falkland's winter, so I was constantly adjusting my settings while photographing the colony.

Equipment

I took this photo on a Canon 650d, with a Tamron 70 - 300mm. Although the Tamron is slow to focus, it provides reasonable quality for budget telephoto and gave me extra reach due to the camera's crop sensor which allowed me to photograph the penguins from a sensible distance.

Inspiration

The adult king penguins are very striking, and make for great photos alone, but this adult was one among a sea of chicks and I liked the contrast. When I saw the adult facing this chick I thought it made for a strong composition. Almost as is if they are having a conversation!

Editing

I like to keep post-processing quite simple so shot in raw then I made exposure adjustments to bring out the detail and enhance the colour, and cropped the image to tighten up the composition.

In my camera bag

I normally tailor the equipment I take based on what I expect to shoot. I nearly always take my Canon 50mm f1.8 because it's small, lightweight, and always produces good results. If I know I will be shooting wildlife or motorsports, for example, I'll take the Tamron 70-300m f4-5.6. If I'm travelling or visiting a city, I like to be able to capture wider angles, which the Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 is really good for.

Feedback

I always check my kit before I head off to make sure I have everything I need. With this type of environment especially, it can be overwhelming - there's so much going on it can be difficult to pick out good subject matter and get the composition right. I recommend allowing plenty of time to shoot and making small adjustments until you are happy with the shot however timing is always key with wild animals as they are unpredictable!

See more amazing photos, follow jamieedwardcorsby

jamieedwardcorsby

jamieedwardcorsby

king penguins of volunteer point

king penguins and babies at volunteer point in the Falkland islands

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow jamieedwardcorsby

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.