Black Bellied Plover Preening

[gail bisson]

Taken at Fort DeSoto in April @ 6:00PM
canon 1DX and 1.4 x
600mm
ISO 640
F 8.0
SS 1/1600
PP: Crop to vertical, decreased exposure by .3, levels, increased saturation, DE at 4% and USM to JPEG
Wish the grass was tack sharp and thought it would be at F8. Such shallow DOF with these long lenses and teles...
I have room right and left for this image and really struggled with the comp. Any suggestions truly appreciated.
Comments and critiques always learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Joe Senzatimore]

Love the BG and that little blade of grass. Glad you didn't remove it.

[Iain Barker]

A brilliant image as usual Gail. I don't think the composition could be better. Another vote for the grass to stay.

[Karl Egressy]

Great preening pose and excellent IQ, Gail.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Very lovely bird and light here Gail. Nice sharpess and composition.

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the pose, blade of grass, IQ and composition. Excellent image Gail.

[David Salem]

Hope you had a good trip to Florida and Fort Desoto, I did. Nice looking shot of this preening Plover. The detail and the exposure look perfect and the eye contact makes the shot.
I actually dont like the grass because both times I opened this the first thought is the grass is part of the other leg, just for a second. It dosnt add anything to this nice image IMO due to the location and the angle it's in. Nice capture and look forward to more from your trip

[christopher galeski]

Beautiful image,nice light and pose,sharp,and I like the the blades of grass.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, love the soft light and the detail you have brought out on the feathers. Exposure spot on too. I can see quite a few comp versions, but if you want to retain the vertical, I would try something like this. I added canvas to the top, and came in on either side and took off the bottom. Just a thought.

Grass to stay. :w3

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like the grass alot, and I love the splayed feathers and patterns it has created. I think this would have looked good as an horizontal with all those lines pointing to the right. Glad you had a good time at Desoto...

[Andy Shepherd]

Original comp works for me and I really like the muted reflection, great exposure control too. Excellent work, Gail.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Beautiful light, pose and shooting angle. I just love this species. This individual isn't fully dressed for prom yet :)
Very interesting choice of comp. For a vertical, I prefer the OP comp. Nicely done Gail and looking forward to more.