Patrick Booth, Avian Missile (ANIMAL 2024)

This portfolio consists of three shots of the Australian Hobby - Falco longipenis or Little Falcon taken next to Ulgundahi Island on the Clarence River In Northern NSW. Shot 1 - Preflight is a portrait of the bird stretching in a pre flight routine. A tack sharp image with true colours, nice feather detail and clear catchlight in the eyes. Camera & Settings Shot 1 1050mm @ 1/6400 sec f8 Iso 2000 Nikon D500 Nikkor 500mm E f/5.6 PF Nikkor 1.4x Teleconverter Shots 2 & 3 are flight shots of the bird hunting for prey and for me was a major personal achievement getting tack sharp flight shots of one of the fastest birds on the planet with a top speed of 160km/h. Both images are tack sharp with true colour rendition, detailed feather plumage and catchlight with shot 2 also showing movement in the wingtips to remind the viewer that this is a very fast bird. Camera & Settings Shots 2 & 3 1050mm @ 1/4000 sec f8 Iso 2000 Nikon D500 Nikkor 500mm E f/5.6 PF Nikkor 1.4x Teleconverter All shots handheld from the deck of my boat

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.