Pool Surprise

[John Robinson]

Meadow Pipit
The one thing about pool photograhy is,- its like fishing- you never know what you will get !
This little gem is a species that's euded me at water for more years than I like to think. This one turned up out of the blue- stayed a few seconds and was gone. Not even in a Meadow Pipit area either. I managed two or three shots and got a head turn. I will be interested in any comments on this one as I have my own strong views. Nice to get confrmation so to speak !!
D7100
Sigma 50-500mm
800ISO
250th @f9
70% of frame.
Hide' bean bag
PSPro levels
Neat image
Contrast down 1 in camera
ev -one stop.
Thanks for comments on Bully pic.
JohnR

[Sandy Witvoet]

Hi John, not familiar with a Meadow Pipit...assuming they are more likely to be found in meadows? Although the BG is a bit busy, it does not really detract from the bird since he/she is nicely showcased against it. (JIMHO!) Image makes me feel like I am sitting in a swamp and this lovely bird graced me with his presence. Lovely detail and pose.

[John Robinson]

Thanks Sandy - Yes they do occur in meadows but also a lot of othr habitats such as heather clad hills and even mountains, scrubland , heathland, and even sometimes in wettish areas of open and. Never in woods though !
Cheers
John

[Diane Miller]

Another gorgeous shot! Beautiful details and color! I'd clone out the yellow grass blade on the left edge and the tiny one at the bottom edge. It could be cropped a little from the right and a small bit from the top, but fine as is. The bird is so attention-grabbing that I don't notice anything else that might need attention. Would love to know your views on it....

[Joe Murphy]

A lovely Meadow Pipit John, loads of these coming through just now, & definitely an open area bird, a real bonus getting him at your pool.

[ronald jones]

A cracking image of the Meadow Pipit John,it pops out of the screen at you, it would have been nice to have a bit more canvas in front of the bird, but the circumstances might not have allowed it, Regards Ron.

[adrian dancy]

Excellent job and a nice find here John. Composition, colour and detail all good. If it were mine I'd perhaps up the contrast a tiny fraction.
Not sure what strong views you are referring to but a downward shot in the pool would have been preferable...and it's your trademark:)...I hope you managed a shot of the bird bathing or drinking. If you didn't you still managed a corker.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Love the shot and the setting, an excellent pose too. I can't help but feel the colours are a little rich - but I know this is your preference, and the plumage is slightly over sharpened.

[Bill Dix]

Sweet bird and capture. Well done -- you were ready when he popped in for a visit. I love the complimentary colors in the bg, although maybe a bit more NR would help there. I would have never noticed those two tiny blades of grass until Diane pointed them out, but I guess they could be evicted. And yes, perhaps just a tiny bit oversharp. I rather like the rich colors of the bird, especially against such a nice bg. I only wish that nub at the bottom of the perch didn't break the bottom edge, but no biggie. A lovely shot.

[John Robinson]

Thanks all- Comments appreciated.. Its really interesting to see the different takes on the same shot
Here are some of my thoughts on the shot. Firstly I just don’t like the background.
It is wet mud on the pool bank at the rear but has come out that sickly colour. Despite what some people think, pool shots are by no means predictable with dozens of different choices concerning perching areas. After al it is twenty feet long!I have had people use the hides for a full day sometimes and they have come away with nothing. There are “setups” and “setups” believe me. And sometimes a bird on a stick is a heck of a lot better than nothing at all!. And when it comes down to it what is a setup ! There have been reams written about it
Its nice to be a purist with nothing to show for it. Also if a blade of grass or leaves etc blow in to shot you can’t just get out and move them. The birds would be spooked for days.
Now interestingly I always get comments about a lower viewpoint, and usually reply about why I don’t or can’t do it. This time I had lowered the camera into a very uncomfortable position just to try it and show why I don’t do it and to see what it produced... If I had left the camera as was I would have had a very different back ground.- more of the pool water. This I feel would have made a more pleasing BG The answer of course is to physically change the far bank of the pool!! So full marks to Adrian ! Got it spot on. And it’s nice to have a “trademark”-thanks for that !
The other point was focus. The presented pic did not look as sharp as the original when I previewed it prior to posting. Does the downloading or uploading process alter anything in that respect. So I applied usm a second time at a reduced level. I normally have the camera set with the focus level down 1 mark. This time I had it on normal. So there’s a lesson about the D7100 !. Every picture I have ever posted has been reduced to 1200pix and then sharpened weakly for posting.
The saturation has been mentioned and being taken on a dull day I did boost it a little bit.
Thanks all for your input and observations. Very useful.

[William Dickson]

Hi John

You get some cracking birds at this location. I like this one, very natural looking and I think this POV shows the bird real well. Maybe a couple sandmartins will arrive for a drink tomorrow :w3

Will

[John Robinson]

Hi Will
ll the banks have been bulldozed so they won't be back !! There three large shallow pools formed with green sand banks and gravel all around so it will LRP's next!
Thanks
John