Alone in the Water

[Joe Senzatimore]

In all the years I have been photographing the birds at our local shore bird nesting site , I have never seen the Oystercatchers bring the chicks to the water this small. This pair can't be more the 2 weeks old , and yet the adults brought them to the water to feed. The parents had their hands full keeping away the Blackback Gulls. This little one was almost a late afternoon snack , but not to be , thanks to the tenacity of it's parents.

800ISO F8 at 1/1600th
Plus 1/3
600 F4 with 1.4

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Joe nice comp. and head turn. details look good. could it go a tad brighter?

the foam is a bit distracting...as you also probably knew while shooting :-) Did you get a chance to go around it and take a few frames? its hard with chicks, I know.

[Arno Ellmer]

This little guy looks so vulnerable and lonely and you have portrayed this so well.Nice pose .

[Sanjeevprakash]

Nice one Joe.The details show well on this Chick.

[Randy Stout]

Joe:

The chick is adorable, agree about the foam. I would try to burn it in a bit to reduce the bright highlights which draw our attention. When I glanced at the thumbnail, I thought he was standing on a grey rock!


agree about a bit lighter for the chick.
Cheers

Randy

[Marina Scarr]

What an adorable capture, Joe. I personally like the foam and feel it adds more to the image than if a chick were just standing in the surf. So often it's nice to include habitat when you can.

Agree the chick could be a tad lighter and I also see a pretty strong green cast to your image. I have uploaded one here without the cost. If you look at the 2 together in PS, you'll see a much bigger difference than scrolling down your screen here. I used Color Balance to rid the image of the green color cast and then to add some warmth. You don't have to go to this extreme but this is to show you the difference.

[gail bisson]

Hi Joe,
I am not loving this one. The midtones seem very muddy- for a lack of a better term. IQ just not there compared to your other images.
Marina's repost helps but...
I sound like Negative Nellie:e3 and I wish I could articulate better what is nor quite right about this shot.
Gail

[Joe Senzatimore]

What an adorable capture, Joe. I personally like the foam and feel it adds more to the image than if a chick were just standing in the surf. So often it's nice to include habitat when you can.

Agree the chick could be a tad lighter and I also see a pretty strong green cast to your image. I have uploaded one here without the cost. If you look at the 2 together in PS, you'll see a much bigger difference than scrolling down your screen here. I used Color Balance to rid the image of the green color cast and then to add some warmth. You don't have to go to this extreme but this is to show you the difference.
Thanks Marina,
I like the re-post but kept it as posted as this was the true water color. We don't get water color like this often and I just didn't want to eliminate it. And glad to see someone besides me liked the foam.:wave:

[Marina Scarr]

I like the re-post but kept it as posted as this was the true water color. We don't get water color like this often and I just didn't want to eliminate it. And glad to see someone besides me liked the foam.:wave:

Hi Joe: I wouldn't mind seeing the water with a greenish hue, but I don't like the color cast in the chick as well. If you compare the two pictures, you will see the difference in the color on the chick. Just the other day I was trying my best to INCLUDE foam in my picture.

[Rachel Hollander]

Joe - I'm really enjoying your series. I also like the foam but do agree that the green cast seems to extend to the chick as well as the water.

TFS,
Rachel

[Joe Senzatimore]

Hi Joe: I wouldn't mind seeing the water with a greenish hue, but I don't like the color cast in the chick as well. If you compare the two pictures, you will see the difference in the color on the chick. Just the other day I was trying my best to INCLUDE foam in my picture.

Can't argue with you there. I see the color cast on the chick when I view the 2 together.

[christopher galeski]

nice image,like the repost and the foam.thanks.

[Nick Palmieri]

Hey Joe, I initially thought the foam was distracting, but after looking at it for a while I think it really adds to the story, it gives a sense of place and vulnerability to this little guy. Great image. TFS

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Sweet shot and Marina's repost feels better to me too. You can see more of the cast if you look at the chick rather than the water in the OP. I also like the foam.

[Robert Holguin]

Very nice shot. I really like the pose and the foam does not bother me. I like Marina's repost.
Well done.