Steve Lanier
P H O T O G R A P H Y
My goal is to catch diving birds at the point of "kissing the water". Very difficult to do - I'd taken hundreds of shots before this one. Close...
This one is super-close to the "Kiss" as I call it.
Another super-close contact point.
Different species dives differently. Grebes sort of 'launch" themselves first.
Second shot, just after the last one.
Grebes often leave a "vortex" in the water when they dive.
Guillemonts dive much differently than grebes, esp. with their wings splayed out
Okay, I like shooting these birds. I've learned that just before they dive their neck muscles tense up which makes a successful shot more likely.
Mergansers are striking, and though the dive pattern looks like a grebe, the body typically stays lower, just above the waterline.
The angle of the shot show a hollow space that often occurs as their head enters the water.
The water was dead calm as this grebe dove.
This is as close as one can practically get, was happy to get this shot!