Piping Plover Parent and Chick

[Melissa Groo]

Canon 1D Mark IV
500mm +1.4x
Skimmer Pod

ISO 800
f/5.6
1/1250

Took this lying flat on a MA beach, while attending Mike Milicia's excellent Piping Plover workshop last summer. I just discovered this image while gathering some shorebird images for a job. When I first looked at it I thought that the chick was nursing, and then my brain quickly corrected me--of course it's not nursing, it's a bird! But I thought it was a sweet and intimate shot worth working on, with the chick nestled into its parent's feathers.
Even though the bottom is out of focus, I kept a pretty broad strip of it as I liked the sort of heavenly look it gave the frame. Interested to see what others think.
Some crop, sharpening, NR, toning down of the whites, and Levels.
Thanks very much for any comments and critiques.

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the low angle, sharpness, details, exposure, tender moment and complimentary BG. I might be tempted to take a little off the top but still a beauty as presented. Very well done Melissa!

[Randy Stout]

Melissa:

Very sweet. Excellent pose, shooting angle, exposure.

I could see just a sliver more contrast,on the birds only, but a personal call based on your message.

In a perfect world, would hope for a slightly smoother transition in foreground, without the raised area causing it to be sharp transition from focused to non focused.

Cheers

Randy

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely, intimate capture full of little details. FG works fine for me and I really like the way it almost envelopes your subjects.

[Karl Egressy]

Sweet moment captured beutifully. Melissa. I like the low angle and the OOF foreground. The pose of the parent and the chick are fantastic.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Melissa, you nailed the moment with this capture.

That natural catchlight is a big plus for me, as it's not the traditional spot catchlight. I'm ok with the contrast on this one. I do agree with Randy's comment about the transition, but I'd be stoked to have this image in my files.

Hope you find some more from that workshop to share.

Miguel

[Grace Scalzo]

Sweet moment captured. How much of a crop is this? I can't quite figure out what I'm seeing but the IQ seems to be suffering a bit but it might be a sharpening issue.

[Petros Petrou]

What a priceless image! I like it as it is. Nice soft colors, BG, details and eye contact with both birds. Thanks for sharing this.

[LinzRiverBalmer]

Did you want to give it a hug... I do. Priceless moment, the eyes say it all.

the only part I Mind is in the OOF foreground, but only the very left side, maybe cut off the left edge by 1/2 an inch, might help the comp even more.
maybe to where the "I" in your name is, that section on sand is crisper than the rest so the OOF border looks harsher.

the rest I like the feel of clouds, fluff, snuggles that OOF usually brings out, to me anyway

[Melissa Groo]

Grace, it was about a 30% crop, so I don't think IQ should suffer as a result. I am wondering if maybe it was a touch oversharpened, so I backed off a little bit. I also reduced the yellow cast as I realized that was a bit off. Here's a repost. Thank you to you and everyone else for the feedback.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Melissa, getting down and sandy has given us a great perspective, and love how junior is tucked into parent. Wih regards to IQ, it looks fine to me, as does the sharpening in your OP. As Im not familiar with the colour, and you say your repost represents the true colour, so be it, but I actually like the colour in your OP too. :w3

[Geir Jensen]

A gorgeous photo, there is no more to say.

[Bill Dix]

Hi Melissa. Glad you uncovered this one. A lovely moment, and beautiful color palette. I actually liked the OP just fine.

[Grace Scalzo]

Very subtle change, but the repost looks more natural to my eyes. What do you think, Melissa?

[Diane Miller]

That was my first impression, too -- nursing! So cute!!

I love the amount of FG -- you have a beautiful and natural high-key edge effect that works very well with the subject.

[Melissa Groo]

Thanks very much, you all. Grace, in answer to your question, yes, I like the repost better myself, and agree with you that it looks more natural.

[gail bisson]

Hi Melissa,
I am late to this party and have to say that the repost is excellent. When I viewed the OP I was trying to decide if it was the actual light that gave the yellow or was it a cast.I agree it was a yellow cast, as I recall we had mostly cloudy mornings during the workshop.
I might try to blur the sharp edge of the OOF foreground just to soften it as I feel it would add to the general good fuzzy wuzzy feeling this image conveys,
Gail

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Melissa - sweet moment, well captured with nice low pov and excellent details. RP colors look great. If it were mine, I would crop a bit off the bottom, maybe to just above your name.

TFS,
Rachel

[Girish Prahalad]

beautiful moment captured here. excellent comp, details & shooting angle.