That is the main impression I got when I saw the Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) for the first time: A funny – still beautiful – bird running fast on the surface of the water. Of course that was just an impression given by the speed of the bird and by the shallow water where it was looking for food, but the reflection and the very high pace created a very realistic effect.
Framing it through the lens was not easy at first, because of such an erratic and fast step, but luckily it kept going back and forth between two groups of vegetation, passing in front of the hide a few times. It was a little challenging to catch him in the right spot at the right moment. I wanted to have the reflection in the water, possibly at least one paw lifted to show the large and wide digits – to make the pose more interesting – and have it in the right light to enhance its colors. I took as many shots I could and considering it was the first time, I was quite happy with them, even if I realized I could have chosen an even faster shutter speed to freeze it better – also because I didn't have at hand the bean-bag to reduce vibrations.
I had the opportunity to shoot the Water Rail again, and this time the bird was more calm, probably less worried because the area around was quiet, and it didn't run as much, allowing me to take a few shots without the need of quick panning with the telephoto.
EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF600mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x III@840mm f/7.1 1/1000sec ISO 400
EOS 5D Mark III – Canon EF600mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x III@840mm f/6.3 1/640sec ISO 500
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