Ibis in flight sunset

Congratulations! This is the Image of the Week selection for the Birds Gallery, week ending 23rd December, 2011!Photographed this immature white ibis in flight with a relatively slow shutter speed 1/50 sec. while panning against a deepening red sunset sky. Fill flash was used with a better beamer to give the shadow effect. It is the front sync of the flash that creates the shadow, in the same way panning with a slow-shutter speed and flash creates the stylistic blur in sports images. None of this is done in pp. Frans Lanting used the exact same techniques with wildlife and birds in NG years ago, Nothing new about the technique. 400 iso at f8. Canon 50d and 4005.6l. Everglades. Thanks for looking!

Great background and nice flight picture. Sorry but I don't understand the expression; spot on flash. it is also a mistery that it creates a shadow on the sky. Excuse my ignorance.

Surreal looking image - that is quite unusual!

I also fail to understand how the shadow effect was achieved by using the flash. Was the "shadow" created entirely in-camera?

Interesting technique - I assume the "shadow" is the blurred bird, which was subsequently frozen and captured by the flash. Pretty cool.

Thanks guys. I've edited the photo description to give a little better idea of how I did it.

I like what you did Scott and the results are very ethereal. Lanting hasn't been completely forgotten but his stuff doesn't seem to be getting dusted off as much anymore - and it's all great. A suggestion if you will, try this sometime with rear curtain sync.
Great thinking and an interesting image.

Kevin Hall wrote:I like what you did Scott and the results are very ethereal. Lanting hasn't been completely forgotten but his stuff doesn't seem to be getting dusted off as much anymore - and it's all great. A suggestion if you will, try this sometime with rear curtain sync.
Great thinking and an interesting image.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the only flash I had with me at the time, the little 380ex, wouldn't allow rear-curtain sync.

Scott, this works really well. It's a technique I like, and you've done a great job with it. Kevin's note on rear-curtain sync is a good idea, but I'd still take this one.

Cheers,
Greg

Very Creative Scott!!!!!

I love stuff like this! (Unless its one of my mess-ups by leaving the camera on Av mode with the flash with movement at a wedding....Ouch!!!)

The effect here is very fun!


Jim

Cool shot

Great shot, Congrats on the IOW!!!

The front curtain sync is cool. Almost looks like a studio shot.

It may have been done before (and to great effect)........but come on Scott!, your image is skillful and totally amazing!!!!!!

Thanks so much for your write up regarding how the effect is created, I think this is superb and creative nature photography, brilliant and well deserved IOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very creative image, however I think it should have been posted in the Photo and Digital Arts forum rather than the birds forum.
Bob