Drudgery. (Purple Sandpiper #2)

[Bill Dix]

Sometimes life seems like an uphill struggle if you're a lonely rockpiper. Captured last Tuesday afternoon at Barnegat Jetty, where this Purple Sandpiper was apparently the only representative of its species.

D7200, 500f4, ISO 1000, 1/2500s @ f/7.1 manual.

[Diane Miller]

Perfect title for a cute image! Nice sharpness and detail. Not so sure about the OOF specular highlights -- might crop from the top to minimize the number and try some mitigation.

[Adhika Lie]

Gosh, cuteness overload. This is such a nice bird and I love the color contrast on this one. I agree with Diane about the bokeh. It's a nice story nonetheless! Every working hour on a Friday feels like that.

[Bill Dix]

Thanks Diane and Adhika. I actually like the highlights from the oof water drops as the wave crashed in the background, but figured some wouldn't. Had there been just a few highlights I would have taken them out, but the profusion of the makes for an interesting bg, at least for me. (I may be the only one.)

[Joseph Przybyla]

This bird looks like it has the weight of the world on its shoulders. Nice exposure, composition, and detail. I'm OK with the specular highlights. Thank you for sharing, Bill.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Man, you could name this bird Atlas. I have to admit that I am on the fence about those many highlights, but I would not be if there were only a few there (I'd remove them). One thing for sure though is that I would lighten, or blend in the very darkest spot near the sandpiper's head. I also wish the perch rock was visible all the way to the bottom right corner but I do realize getting that FG element may not have been as easier said than done.

[Jonathan Ashton]

I prefer this one Bill I think it is really eye catching. the highlights in the background are a little intrusive, i wouldn't remove them but I would be tempted to subdue them so they are less apparent, I think they should be visible but incidental.

[Diane Miller]

Cropping from the top to just to get rid of the blue area removes the worst of them and gives the additional feeling of the weight of the top of the frame pushing down on this cute little guy.

[Bill Dix]

Cropping from the top to just to get rid of the blue area removes the worst of them and gives the additional feeling of the weight of the top of the frame pushing down on this cute little guy.

Thanks Diane. I know you meant to say "...removes the best of them...", knowing that I like the highlights. I've used your pano idea, making this repost a 9:16 crop. I wasn't able to find a good way to tone down the highlights, although I suppose I might have tediously darkened them one at a time. Rather than doing that, I've made a major intervention with Clone and Blur, to transform this into a different image altogether. I like this, but maybe not any better than the OP. What do you think?

[Diane Miller]

Sorry for the typo! :w3

I love it! For me, simplifying the BG puts attention on the wonderful story in the posture of this little bird.

I would have used a 50% (or thereabouts) clone to tone them down -- set to Darken mode, and made as many passes for each as I liked. Or the Spot Healing brush for ones you (uh -- another typo -- make that I) wanted to completely remove. Just to show the possibility. But of course, go with the one you love!!

[Bill Dix]

That works too. Thanks Diane.