Back again from diving - with success. It is always a challenge to catch the Kingfisher exactly in this position. ok, I admit I had a little help.
The location in the Netherlands are well integrated into the nature. Birds are living free, the are at home. You are visiting them. See it as courtesy, that you have something for them to feed. They will pay it back with much action - more you have ever seen about them. Big cinema. So the Kingfisher (he is breeding in this area with success in every year!) will dive into a glass container catching the fish. I appreciate these session, because I could learn much about the birds and their behavior.
This is a crop, originally taken in RAW, processed with Photoshop and Topaz DeNoise - out of the cam.
Canon R5, Canon 400mm (2.8), Ap 5.6, shutterspeed 1/1600, ISO 5000.
6 comments posted
Butch Mazzuca
Absolutely amazing peak action - talk about perfect timing, you nailed it. Impact, visual interest, and story all rolled into one - that said, two technical issues - the image appears a touch soft (which I don't understand considering it was shot at 1600 Tv) and I'd get rid of those bright lights at the shoreline and below the subject's right wing. Posted: 12/06/2025 18:49:40
Dr Ernoe Barsi
You shot a fantastic moment Peter. It is unfortunate that the shutter speed was not enough to take a sharper image of the bird. I suppose there was only a small amount of light in this situation, because the ISO was in 5000. Posted: 12/07/2025 09:52:28
Roy Lockwood
As noted above, a great shot and I agree with those comments. I also give you praise for the color and crop, well done. I also think that the sharpness is an issue. With my Nikon Z7II and Z8 I have a tough time getting great results with ISOs above 2000. As you have mentioned, I learn a great deal about my subjects through the superb images our equipment can capture. Posted: 12/07/2025 21:45:31
Peter Hornbostel
Thanks to all of you. "The rest" of sharpness - a good criteria. Take the 5000 ISO as a set (if more, picture will loose quality using Topaz). To have the background smooth, Ap 5.6 will do. Dued to an excellent lens with a lot of glass you get a very good result. The speed of 1/1600 is limit in this situation. Normally try to photograph with 1/2000 - if possible. In this situation a shorter speed will mean to open the aperture. The object is about 15 meters (10 yards?) away. Can you imagine the picture with a speed of 1/2000 and an aperture of 3.5? Guess, the depth would not be sufficiant to catch the bird sharp. It is a dance on a blade ...
Your comments are right - what would you suggest in this situation? Posted: 12/08/2025 00:31:55
Roy Lockwood
Peter, I think we are sometimes working at the limits of what our equipment is capable of. Optimizing camera settings, stalking subjects and perseverance is what makes getting a great photograph so rewarding! Posted: 12/08/2025 20:54:28
Deborah Albert
I understand that it is almost impossible to get this shot without feeding the kingfishers, but I feel compelled to protest the practice. As others mentioned your shutter speed needed to be much higher around 1/4000; your set up would tolerate a higher iso. Posted: 12/17/2025 00:31:11
