Mark Kriedemann, Momentary Veil (ENTRIES CLOSED - February theme: Wild)

Juvenile Osprey beats its wings after bathing in the shallow waters of a cove beneath its nest. Sunset lights breaks through a line of trees to softly highlight the face and chest of the Osprey, which allowed me to capture an image with a satisfying separation between shadow and highlights. By visiting this same location on the Gold Coast at the same time each day, I was able to gain familiarity with the bathing habits and behavioural patterns of the Ospreys, which meant I could anticipate where to place myself in order to get close enough for this shot. This also meant they became familiar with me, and less prone to spook. However, used an 800mm lens to give the Osprey as much room as I could while still getting the detail I was after.

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