Darter at Fitzroy River

[loose cannon]

Camped on the river for three days and came home with one keeper image, not a good trip from that perspective but this image made the entire trip worthwhile for me.

Birds were in short supply so I decided I needed to shoot some long range stuff or risk going home empty handed. As soon as I looked through the viewfinder I saw a b&w image, the different tones and textures in the background really appealed to me and I liked the gnarly roots in foreground, the angle of the trees and the softness of the overhead foliage.

I liked the tortured look of the trees showing the powerful effects of the river so I manoeuvered into position to place the bird in some clear space and then waited for the right pose from the bird taking care to ensure there was separation between the beak/neck and wing.

May not appeal to all but this is imho the best bird image I've captured, certainly the most pleasing to my eye anyway. My view is probably biased by my passion for the Fitzroy river and I've long yearned to capture an image of this style.

Just because I've flagged it as a favourite don't let that discourage any CC, got my thick skin on today.

Exif: f/6.3 ss 1/1000 iso 1000 fl 400mm

[wigz]

I like it very much. Very dramatic and I like the positioning of the bird. I find the light areas in the background at centre about a third of the way down and just below the bird tend to draw my eyes away from the bird, trees and logs that seem the main subject - but that's a lot of words for a minor quibble.

[loose cannon]

Thanks Alan, that's a good call on the bright spots. I have used the burn tool a little here and there but will go back in and address that area as i can see what you mean.