Golden Plover

[Richard Unsworth]

:S3:

Hi

European race in Summer Plumage, Adult? (Arthur??)

Image created Humberston, NELincs, South Mud Flats River Humber UK.


This area can be dangerous for walking; IO waited till tide turned and walked carefully across about 1 km of mud, having seen asmall group of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and these beauties.

Unusually I was able to stalk the Plovers to about 8 ft distant, very close indeed for this species. I was unable to get completely flat and had to kneel in the stinking mud lol to get this angle.
Even then I was not allowed back in the car !

Image was processed in DPP, CURVes Tpoaz NR to BG only, cropped to at least 80 of original remaining. There was very little noise on frame. Full sun from lhs but almost behind.

Canon 7d 100-400 1/200 Ev + 2/3 ISO 400 Spot AF on eye.


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[Jack Breakfast]

Hi Richard, perhaps I'm insane but I do believe I notice a little bit of softness on the beak? Perhaps motion blur? I'll be curious to hear what other folks will say about that one. You could have increased your iso to 800, thereby doubling your shutter speed. I shoot my 7D at iso800 all the time and am quite pleased with the results, so long as exposure is correct. That is one cozy bird. Some might complain about the head angle, which is "less than ideal," as the expression goes, but I'm quite fine with it myself. The light was "harsh" but one cannot do too much about that? This is a highly toothsome bird and I like the shadow. I also like your website, which I was recently perusing.

[Richard Unsworth]

Hi Jack


Thanks for your welcome critique.
Not sure re motion blur; think it might just be a slight halo from S&H being a mite too much, on the raw I can view at very high multiples and see no blur, and at 1/2000 sec was happy with 400 ISO; I get very poor results sometimes at 800 on the 7D but I often capture my subjects in dark places.
Strong sunlight inded as it was around 1130 am ; it is not possible to access this marsh early morning and evening at the moment due to tides.
I have a whole series of shots ; the bird was stock still and even with pathetic whistling from me , refused to turn haha. It was then chased away by two dogs!
It is very unusual toget this close to a GP , they often show in huge flocks here but one can never approach them as the sentries advise - flight/danger!
My website is a whole other story, need some tlc, once in Portugal I will have time to really build it up.
best
Rich
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[Jack Breakfast]

A-ha, mon frère...you did type 1/200 in your original post...I should have used my blessed brain to determine this: sunny! bright light! OF COURSE it was 1/2000 and not 1/200...mystery solved. perhaps there is no softness there at all and the softness is actually in my own head?!

[gail bisson]

Hi Richard,
What a beautiful bird and, I too, would crawl a km in the mud to get this beauty. I have never seen one IRL so am very envious.
The light is a bit harsh and it is too bad about the OOF grass on the left and the OOF mound of mud on the bottom right.
Both issues could be easily remedied with the clone/patch tool if you were so inclined! I would also shave a bit off the bottom and crop about 10% off the RHS to minimize all that mud. I like the green above the head so wouldn't touch that,
Gail

[Richard Unsworth]

Thanks Gail

Yes I was really taken aback by how pretty this species is.
The objects you mention, quite correctly, should go to a happier place :-)
and will certainly look at your excellent crop suggestion. Actually heres a quick repost - probably need to spend a wee bit more time on it
but it fdoes show the real value of these critiques.


and Jack - I really did gaff on the ss it was 1/2000 - doh
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[Miguel Palaviccini]

I like the repost a bit better, but there is still a faint amount of green on the rock on the left side. Just a bit more work to clean it up. The details and colors in the feathers are very nice!

[Richard Unsworth]

Hi all

thanks for goosd comments

So, I had another think and decided to work on what is pretty much the same shot; just a couple of frames further on with just a smidge of a better HA.

Spent more time here cleaning up etc and in the end went for a tighter crop.



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