Common Snipe.

[keith mitchell]

Nikon D4
Nikon 300ml 2.8
1000@f7.1
iso 1600

Sorry about the missing foot.

Thanks for taking a look and your comments and tips on my last post.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Keith, lovely pose from the Snipe, and you have brought out the feather detail nicely. Great that the perch is covered in moss, and I do like the colour of the BG. Comp wise, if this mine, I would come in from the right a touch, and a little on the left. Just personal, as I like my vertical comps 'more vertical' :w3

[Phill Luckhurst]

Lovely shot. It is not often I have seen this bird high up like that, normally I only get to see them on the ground and usually from a high up hide so never have such a great angle to shoot from. Opposite to Stuart above, I prefer images like this to have more space for the bird to look into so if I was fortunate enough to shoot this I would maybe have given more OOF space on the left.

Hope you don't mind (I'll delete it if you do) this is more how I prefer this type of image, maybe even a little wider at 4:3

http://www.windsurf.me.uk/Stuff/snipe2.jpg

[keith mitchell]

Thanks Stuart do understand what you are saying and will look at it. Phil don't mind at all in fact I had this image about the same as yours just prior to posting then decided to take some off, the can never really make up my mind when it comes to cropping. Have lots of shots of Snipe taken from my car window,it can be a bit difficult they are a bit on the wild side but think I might have developed a bit of a game plan that works most of the time, which will sometimes give me really relaxed birds like this .

Keith.

[Bill Dix]

Great shot of a difficult bird. Nice pose, and I don't mind the missing foot. Beautiful BG. Wish for more DOF on the perch, but the bird is sharp and nicely exposed. Each of us has his/her own crop preferences. For me, a sliver off the right, and a little more room on top to make it more vertical, would do the trick. Nice image any way you crop it.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

I love this image Keith. Killer pose, bg and weathered perch. +1 to Bill's recommendation of going more vertical by coming in from the side. Would love to have an image like this.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Beautiful bird nicely shown Keith. To see one that open is amazing, lucky to get a fleeting glimpse here. Thank you for sharing.

[William Dickson]

Hi Keith. Fantastic capture and image, you did really well here. I have never seen one of these birds, never mind photographing one :e3 I like Phill's crop best, but its all a matter of opinion. Well done, really good work here Bird, perch, BG fantastic :S3:

[Frank Schauf]

Great pose and BG, Keith.

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the perch, clean BG, sharpness, details and great pose. Composition is very subjective and I would be inclined to go with Bill's suggestion but it is fine as presented. Excellent image Keith!

[David Salem]

What a nice looking frame of this Snipe. One I could never get in my area even though we see them now and then. The perch, BG, pose and feather details all look great. Well done. Oh, and the foot doesn't bother me at all.

[dankearl]

Great hard to get view of the Snipe.
I like the perch, but maybe just a bit less.....
The bird and BG are very nice.

[keith mitchell]

Thanks a lot guys, have a real good if sometimes frustrating times trying to photograph these very skittish birds, occasionally one will sit and give a chance for a relaxed pose such as this, many more with just the tail end of departing birds.
Keith. http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/smileys/icon_wavey.gif

[arash_hazeghi]

nice pose, light and BG. I like the perch with the moss and also the HA. your self critique about the missing foot is spot on. I also like the orig. portrait crop

well done

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely shot I like both crops, The pose and the perch are suited well as is the background, as you say that missing foot is unfortunate. A really fine shot, I wonder if I could find something similar in the moors around Wrexham direction, a lot nearer than Lincolnshire and Yorkshire!

[keith mitchell]

Thank you Arash,thanks Jonathan my best time on these northern moors is May/June early in the morning especially after rain when these birds like to get off the ground to dry and preen.

Hope that you are still on the mend.

Cheers Keith.

[Binu John]

Love it. Beautiful shot of a beautiful bird! Superb pose, composition, colors and light. TFS

[keith mitchell]

Binu thanks a lot for your kind words.

Keith.