Flipping pancakes...

[Bobobird]

Haha, nothing as delicious. Sorry...

When a Tern emerges from a dive, it will first get level and at some point will do a boogie-woogie and a 360 degree roll around to shake off the water in the wings.

This part of the action has been really really hard for me to catch due to the speed at which it happens, my distance, angle of view, etc. After many attempts on and off last summer and many near misses was able to get one that is reasonably presentable.

Could not decide which crop is better so will show 2.

Comments/views appreciated as always.

Thanks.

1.


2.


3. Portrait as suggested


4. Adjusted portrait to give more space to the left

[Stagecoach]

Great capture Bobo,

As for the crop No 1 helps show where he has emerged from but No 2 shows us the bird larger. I wonder if a portrait crop of No 1 would work?

Grahame

[Saorsa]

That is a great action and behavioral shot. Technically, the whites are not blown and there is a great contrast of the orange beak with the dark green of the reflected foliage.

You might try a vertical crop that includes the point of emergence from the water. That gives a little more of the story of the action.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Grahame, Saorsa.

Re-cropped #1 to portrait posted.

[Stagecoach]

Thanks Grahame, Saorsa.

Re-cropped #1 to portrait posted.

Not sure, it's lost that great space it had in No 1. Try cropping No 1 from bottom and right side?

Grahame

[Bobobird]

That is what I was afraid of when doing the crop initially therefore settling on #1. There is enough space to the left which gives his "leap" the space it needs. Cutting too tight on the right loses the impact of the spray. Maybe a square might be more balanced?

[IzzieK]

Actually, although the last two are great...I like #1 best as is because it shows a story there and also because of your comment of its behavior.

[Bobobird]

Sometimes I get confused with crops but your are right Isabel. #1 is better balanced in most respects and there is nothing else I have tried that does the same.

[Donald]

That is an astonishing image and could only be made by someone dedicated to their craft, who has committed to observing and understanding bird behaviour, as well as building up the expertise to be able to capture that behaviour.

Aspect ratio? I have to confess to feeling that the last one (the portrait orientation) works really well given that the main subject (the bird and the water droplets) make a vertical shape. It also has the bird filling a greater proportion of the frame.

Bobo - You have my admiration and respect. Well done.

[ShaneS]

I second Donald's sentiments. Very nicely done Bobo and I will add that I never thought that I would see an image of an upside down bird in this lifetime! It really made me do a double take...in a very good way

[Colin Southern]

Bobo,

Will you PLEASE STOP reading my mind. It's for your own health and safety!

Seriously, of recent, when flying my RC Helicopters I've had a few nerve-wracking interactions with seagulls, and thinking about birds in general, I've often wondered if they ever do any aerobatics (like loops). I'd concluded that they probably didn't (like, "what's the point"), but then along comes your great image!

I imaging it's one of those situations where a high frame rate definitely increases your chances.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Shane. I appreciate your kind comments.

Thanks Donald. Coming from masters such as your self is a great compliment. Only thing I can do is try doubly hard. The vertical does place constraints on the blank space to the left, perhaps cut off a bit from the right?

Thanks Colin - actually not. These last summer shots were all 5D3. FPS is ok but with the 1DX, it will certainly make a difference. Let's see what this summer brings.

The problem with terns is that they are not particularly interesting (after a while that is). So the only thing that makes a good shot in my opinion would be the beak just hitting the water on the dive, or existing the water with a big fish, and swallowing that fix mid air. But they tend to miss more often then not. So if I see them exiting without a fix, the camera just goes down. Visually that flip is never apparent or obvious. All one sees is a boogie-woogie and the water sprinkles. That is what I was hoping for and the flip was a total surprise. That of course changed everything so now terns I follow all the way through.

[Otavio]

Great timing, Bobo. Everythings worked well here. Even the background was on your side! Cheers...

[bnnrcn]

I haven't seen such a thing in my life Bobo,thank you,I most like #1,although the bird is smaller in #1,the story can be seen better:-)

[atvman]

Neat Shot! Never seen anything like this. Think about the ODDS. Nice catch.

[Shadowman]

It's such an odd sighting that I don't think the crop matters, my eyes are drawn to the bird, then to the water below and back up to the bird.

[jamn4ex]

yeppers its 1 for me. great shot!

[deetheturk]

Another cracker Bobo whatever one you look at,well captured bud!

[FrankMi]

I never knew that they could flip the, er, pancake like that. Learned something new and with a superb photographic example as well. You have taught us a lot about bird behavior and how to go about capturing it in images. Many thanks!

I constantly look forward to your excellent and informative posts Bobo!

[gretarsk]

Great shot! Perfect colours and contrast with the perfect backdrop, imho. Tells a nice story and does that really well. Thanks for sharing!