These are chinstrap penguins I photographed on the island of South Georgia on the way down to Antarctica. I was in a small dingy, and we were able to approach the birds quite closely. I took this with a 260mm focal length, and the original background was defined but not sharp. So, I took a shot of the ocean cliffs in the distance in sharp focus, and then when I got home I used Photoshop to composite the sharp background behind the penguins. In my opinion, being able to see the background in the image -- just as we see it at the time of shooting -- gives a real sense of environment and artistry. I used a small lens aperture in an attempt to create complete depth of field, but it wasn't enough to produce the kind of detail and sharpness I wanted. Thus, the composite. My settings for capturing the penguins were 1/160, f/22, and 640 ISO.
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