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Full Ahead Full!


Full Ahead Full!
Photo Information
Copyright: Pieter van der Horst (sAner) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1455 W: 74 N: 1426] (4750)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-04-01
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Sigma AF 100-300/f4.0 EX APO
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Movie Oneliners [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-04-21 14:31
Viewed: 4814
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I thought it was about time to add a picture to the theme of Movie Oneliners. Until now only Olger (thanks man) participated! Shame on you! :) Of course the most dramatic sentence from Titanic is: "What I remember about that night- what I will remember as long as I live- is the people crying out to each other as the stern began to plunge down. I heard people crying, 'I love you.'", but the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic couldn´t have started without this famous oneliner: "Full Ahead Full!" This lovely fastforward swimming grebe reminded me of the start of Titanic´s trip.

I remember that as a kid I was very fond of Great Crested Grebe´s. I loved to see them plunge down and tried to predict where the Grebe would resurface. :)

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus):

The great crested grebe is the largest grebe in Europe. It is a graceful bird, with its long neck, long bill and slender outline. In summer, the adults of both sexes are adorned with beautiful head-plumes, which are reddish-orange in colour with black tips; there is also an erectile black crown. The sexes are similar in appearance, but juveniles can be distinguished by the possession of blackish stripes on the cheeks.

This species breeds in large shallow water bodies, where there is a fringe of vegetation. In winter it can also be found in gravel-pits, estuaries, deep lakes, coastal pools, reservoirs and off the coast in inshore waters.

The great crested grebe dives for fish, insects and invertebrate larvae, chasing prey under water by strongly swimming with its feet.

Pairs begin to form during the middle of winter, and nesting can start in January, providing that conditions are mild. This grebe is well known for its elaborate courtship display, in which pairs raise and shake their head plumes, and approach each other with weed in their bills, rising up breast to breast in the water and turning their heads from side to side. The nest is either a hidden mound of reeds and other vegetation or else a floating platform anchored to vegetation. After May, between 1 and 9 (but usually 4) eggs are laid, which take 27-29 days to incubate. Both parents are involved in incubation; when they leave the nest they cover the eggs with rotting vegetation to keep them warm. After hatching, the stripy chicks are carried around on the backs of their parents, they fledge at around 71-79 days of age.
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Hit me where it hurts! Seriously; write what you think. I can use the lesson and I can really take the criticism. Thank you!

I know the breast is OE but because it´s so shiny I found it extremely difficult to get the right exposure.

Shutter Speed: 1/500
F-stop: f/8
Focal length: 300mm
Tripod: no
Flash: no
red45, Toni, marhowie, hummingbird24, Luc, sandpiper2, AndyB, TAZ, dew77, Comandante, coasties has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2636 W: 74 N: 9091] (31094)
  • [2005-04-21 14:47]

Believe me or not but I still didn't watched 'Titanic' ;-) It's too sweet for me ;-))) But your title remind me 'Silent Service' - famous game for my first computer - ZX Spectrum :-) Picture is very good - he had to swim very fast, look at waves at his back! In Polish this nice bird is called Perkoz.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2150 W: 319 N: 4263] (16942)
  • [2005-04-21 15:00]

Pieter, I found this funny in your note: "Hit me where it hurts". If you stop taking nice pictures, we'll do that...

I do have a feeling of movement looking at your picture. I can feel the bird "gliding" upon the water.

Great picture.

Hi Pieter . Great shot !! The details are good, the movement is good, love the little drops on the back too :)

he has a funny "hat" :D

TFS
Elize

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
  • [2005-04-21 16:26]

Excellent shot Pieter. You've got him so sharp and clear. Very well done. Lovely colours and details. TFS, Janice

  • Great 
  • Toni Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 403 W: 2 N: 316] (2034)
  • [2005-04-21 17:09]

Hi Pieter
You tell me often enough that I have the same problem with the OE of the whites of my sea lions and ducks and it's true. But when taking highly contrasted photos, it's difficult when you have to click quickly. In this case, it's not serious. The end is wonderfully sharp and I really like the movement of the water.
Regards Toni

What a hair-do!!! Great picture! I would like to the same hairdresser!

  • Great 
  • jossim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1538 W: 5 N: 2240] (12636)
  • [2005-04-21 18:34]

Superbe spécimen ce canard, un des plus beau à mon avis.

Félicitations pour les détails et l'éclairage.

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2005-04-21 18:44]

Excelent capture and well done on the composition. A beautiful Grebe indeed.
Excelent work, what? a Honda 90 outboard. :)

Mike

Very nice one Pieter. Super details, light and colors..You've conveyed a sense of motion very well also. No nits, not one! Very good job on this!

He definitely looks like a grebe on a mission, Pieter. Even his head feathers look wind blown. Excellent composition, detail, lighting and POV. Thank you for sharing him with us.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1835 W: 301 N: 4287] (14767)
  • [2005-04-21 22:41]

Personal assessment of the photo: excellent.
Good visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you Pieter. I like very much the action and the beauty of the grebe.

What a bow wave, I wonder how fast these guys can actually swim?
Image looks fine, I assume you took it in the middle part of the day, thus teh over exposed breast and shiny water droplets. Nevertheless, Its a nice moving-grebe shot. I suppose I could suggest not taking pictures in the middle of the day, but if we all did that, very few pictures would get taken.

Very good Pieter.
It's little OE on the breast but the head is very well exposure, this kind of picture is very hard to get right exposure, I think you manage well.
Very good composition, details and colours.
Very well done.

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1366 W: 32 N: 1351] (3982)
  • [2005-04-22 3:06]

Excellent capture.
Very nice sharp detail.
I like the waves as the bird is moving through the water.
You've handled the exposure very well.
Excellent work,well done.

Another rushed Morning.
Great shot, thanks for posting Pieter.
I'm still waiting for a grebe to get close enough for a good shot. I was going to try again Monday. Gotta rush. I'm Late ....I'm late....I'm late.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2005-04-22 3:44]

Great shot Pieter!
Lighting,colors,details and composition are excellent.TFS....:-)

Wonderful shot Pieter!
Composition is amazing!
Very well done!Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • optic Gold Star Critiquer [C: 322 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2005-04-22 7:13]

Hi Pieter, you did a SUPERB shot,Great colours, a really sharp image. The water and reflections captured are great, dof & pov are great 10/10

Thanks for the note, thhanks for sharing!

Christian

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2005-04-22 10:26]

"Hit me where it hurts" - you are a brave man :)

It looks like it is powered by its tail. The sharpness is good and I like the composition. You do have a bit of OE like you said, but I did not find it distracting.

Very well done and thanks for posting

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2005-04-23 4:41]

Belle et intéressante composition photographique pour cette superbe Grèbe. Jolies couleurs et bonne. Nous avons les mêmes à Annecy mais je n'arrive pas à les photographier de près...
Well Done ! The 350D seems to work well ;-)

Nice shot with very good details and very good light on the subject.
I think that little bit open frame would be better.
It is good that you included the whole reflection.

sharpness and colours very good. TFS

Hello Pieter,

Very good. A little bit over exposed, but sharp. This birds are very ard to take. This a very good picture.

A nice photo Pieter. I prefer the composition on my recent one but yours is sharper. That lens is good!
Interesting how the crests differ on the 2 birds.

Andy.

Hi Pieter, great shot of the Great Crested Grebe :). Yes, a little OE in parts but I've also founds surprising in that respect when trying to photograph them - in fact I know I have at least OE GCB myself. It's lovely though Pieter. The speed comes across well, the colours and sharpness and especially the catchlight in the eye. He looks as sharp and as his beak ;). Beautifully done :)

Hi Pieter

How did I miss this excellent shot. I saw some of these guys on Lake Ianthe north of Franz Josef, but unfortunately they were too far away to photograph. Nice POV. Very good light allowing the water droplets to glisten like jewels. Perfect shot. Thanks.

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