One of the birds that I really wanted to photograph in Costa Rica was this keel-billed toucan. I had seen it in captivity but never in the wild, so it was a thrilling experience to see it. Because the beak is so long and so colorful, a portrait of this bird only made sense if it is a profile shot. At the same time, I wanted to show its red rump feathers. So often a great pose is fleeting and you have to watch the subject through the viewfinder for extended periods of time to, hopefully, get the picture. If you look at it with your eyes, see what you want and then put your eyes to the viewfinder to shoot, it’s often too late. This bird came to the bananas that were set up to attract it, and with a perfect perch placed just above the fruit my photo tour group and I had fantastic opportunities to get incredible shots. I used a 500mm lens for the shot, and my settings were 1/125, f/9, and 1000 ISO. I used a tripod and a gimbal head for the ease of managing the long lens. I took this from the terrace of the lodge we are staying in.
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