Ok so it’s not perfect…and it’s about a %50 crop but I present to you my first Kingfisher photo! The weather was pretty dire, very dull and cloudy (the kind of day where cars drive round with the lights on mid-afternoon) with small sprinkles of rain so I decided to just scout the location out for my first visit.
D3, 850mm, 1/200, f7.1, ISO 1600
They are small, blue and VERY fast! The Kingfisher is a bird I’ve wanted some photo’s of for a long time. I’ve seen them two other times in my life, both of which were fleeting unexpected glimpses. So, when I was told about a reliable location to find them that was fairly close to home I had to check it out… I knew the area to visit but wasn’t sure ‘exactly’ where along the stream to spot this elusive bird so I went light and tried out my new beanbag instead of taking a tripod. Within 15 minutes of arriving it flew straight past me as I made my way up stream, so I spent half an hour or so following it up and down the stream making a mental note of the area’s it liked to perch before it eventually vanished for the afternoon. I only had one photo opportunity and that lasted all of 30 seconds before he caught a fish and moved on! But, I know they are there now and I know roughly where to camp out so hopefully I will manage some better shots in the near future…
Not bad at all despite the technical, weather, lighting problems. I have seen them about 2 times myself. The best viewing was a through a birdwatchers scope. The Kingfisher was perched on a fishermans rod!!!!
Excellent mate, terrific stuff, especially for a 50% crop!
Care to share where this location is please?
PLEASE?!
Very nice shot. Deeply jealous – I have yet to get a camera on a kingfisher, despite seeing them fairly frequently.
Well captured Richard. Even though it’s a big crop and ISO 1600 it’s still a nice crisp shot.
Very nice pic!
Beautiful shot – and I like the way you have given the bird space to breathe in the shot. I can see that having a cold winter scene helps with that, wtih an overall whitish color that doesn’t fight the subject.
I am commenting on this shot but there are lots of others that look great!
Amazing colours on the bird! really love this one \!
Makes a great change to see an excellent shot of Kingfisher not sat on the ‘No fishing stake’ or an obvious twig planted by the photographer, this is a natural looking shot that has all the hallmarks of a quality photographer