black-necked stilt

[Enrique Patino]

From last June. At a pond in Eastern Washington - at first light

134151

7D, 500mm, 1/1250, F/6.3, ISO 800, HH

comments and suggestions welcome...

[Don Railton]

Hello Enrique

I would like to comment on this bird but i cant see all of it..! The thumbnail shows all the bird but not the image above. Will try a reboot. From what I can see it looks quite beautiful, I especially like the drop falling from the beak..

DON

[Greg Oakley]

I like the moodiness in this, but I would still lighten the image a fair bit. Lovely pose and the droplet is a bonus

[Martin Dunn]

Lovely shot Enrique.
The falling drop is great.
To me the whole image looks as if it needs to be lightened to give it a bit more zip. It seems very drab.
because it is dark it is hard to pick out any detail from the black plumage, especially at the back of the head.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like the image design, and the falling water drop is a nice bonus for sure. Sharp. Although taken at first light I do agree that as posted the image is dark, lightening it a bit would help but it can be tricky with those underexposed blacks and the 7D. I also see what appears to be a halo around the head.

[Enrique Patino]

Thanks for your comments.

agreed. It is a bit dark. I don't think I can recover too much detail more from the neck, unfortunately. But that does not bother me too much... and it looks a little better when viewed larger. The halo... yes. I've been playing with some actions and these do produce halos in some circumstances... But I soon will learn when to use these and when not to use them... or how to use them to avoid halos ... as these are wonderful for defining details on an image... I will find another BN-Stilt image taken the same day with more details in the black areas and post next... thanks again...

[Enrique Patino]

well, I had to go back and try it again from RAW... and it looks like I was able to pull out some more detail on the neck and head... what do you think now? Thanks!

134168

[Bill Dix]

Wow. What a difference the repost makes. Detail on the back looks great, and the water drop is a real bonus. The image could use just a little CCW rotation. The colors are terrific, although the bubble-gum legs could stand the tiniest bit of desaturation. The halo could be removed with a little patient PP. A very handsome bird and image.

[Mike Milicia]

Excellent pose and gorgeous water and detail ... water drop is a big bonus! Repost is a big improvement but whites could still go a bit brighter for me. Agree with Bill about legs and rotation. A bit tight on the bottom for me ... would like a little more room for the virtual feet

[Daniel Cadieux]

Excellent job on the exposure in the repost!

[Enrique Patino]

thank you for your comments.