Spotted Sandpiper

[Daniel Cadieux]

Certainly not a unique opportunity like Enrique had, but anytime an opportunity to photograph a shorebird in good habitat arises is not one to miss!! Here is one that was strutting around and hopping from rock to rock along the Atlantic seashore in Nova Scotia. The BG is another of those large boulders. I suppose the blurred leg will be a like it or not feature (I would prefer it fully frozen, but I am OK with it as is too).

Canon 7D + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/400s., f/5.6, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, cropped for comp, usual eye work, blue cast removed by adding a touch of reds via "Colour balance".

[gail bisson]

I really like the salmon pink in the BG.
Great perch and perky pose . Good IQ as always.
I am surprised that you were able to get such a sharp image at 1/400. I never even attempt to shoot these guys at less than 1/1000!
I do find myself wishing for a bit less foot blur

[Arthur Morris]

Killer bird, pose, pink granite, SH, EXP, IQ, and image design. The blurred foot bugs me a bit. Had it not been merged with the rock I think that it would have been less problematic. That said, adult SPSA has long been a nemesis bird for me....

[Robert Kimbrell]

I like the colors and textures of the rock, which are complemented by the background. The pose is pleasing but less blur of the foot would work better for me also.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Just love the pose and the overall setting here Daniel. The colors in the bg match the rock perch which I like. The foot blur bugged me in the thumbnail, but somehow doesn't bug me at this size, probably because of the strong eye contact.

[Bill Dix]

A beautiful image overall; while the bird is sharp, the image has a lovely soft feel to it. Love the rose colored bg matching the granite (was the bg also granite?). Wonderful pose, and sure, the foot would be better unblurred, but not a deal-breaker by any means.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice pose with the raised feet. Love the rocky perch and the nice smooth background, Daniel.

[Henry Domke]

The image is a bit dark for my taste.
I've attached an image the I brightened for comparison.
143044

[christopher galeski]

nice capture,great BG and rock,some nice detail in thebird,agree the foot would be better if it was not blurred,but still a keeper.TFS.

[Shawn Zierman]

Wow, that's a fantastic colored rock perch to photograph this species on. Love the color play between the bg and the rock perch...Perky little action pose...motion blur on the leg is just fine in my book. I dislike the darkly colored right hand side in the bg enough that I tried a tighter crop with most of it eliminated (same crop dimension, just tighter/subject slightly more centered)...and I liked the image even more....I think Henry is onto something there in regards to the overall darkness of the OP....

[Richard Flack]

Stunning bird Daniel and incredible BG for this one. Great IQ as always. IMO it would have been even better if the foot was not blurred. TFS

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thanks a bunch guys! Henry, the added brightness looks good:S3:

[Frank Schauf]

Beautiful portrait, great pose and colors.