Last Minute Adjustment

One of the great things about photography is that it can freeze time in a way that means you can see things you miss when watching unassisted. Take the Gannets that dive offshore at this time of year. Watching them they seem to cruise above the waves until they spot something and then dive into water, pulling in their wings at the last minute to create an aerodynamic torpedo. What I hadn't appreciated was the amount of last minute adjustment that goes on during the dive, changing direction right up until the moment they hit the water. Contrast this bird with the straight, arrow-like trajectory of the bird in the extra.