Snow goose

[Stuart Edwards]

This is from a recent trip to Victoriaville Quebec where you can get quite close to these geese.
shot with 1DIV 70-200 2.8II+ex1.4 @ 280mm f7.1 1/3200 iso 400
converted in dpp and then removed the back end of a couple of geese from the right side slight crop from left. smart sharpen on the goose on its own layer.

[John Mack]

Nice exposure in the sunlight. I could see the bird lower in the frame.

[Bob Smith]

Well done to capture the moment with the goose entirely backed by water and with the splash of the takeoff jump in the BG Stuart. I also like the wind wiffled feathers and the neck ridges. You've achieved a good balance of exposure of the bright spot on the breast feathers ( there's almost always a bright spot somewhere on these images in good light ) and the black wing tips. And I really like it that you got the flock on the water in the BG.

[Glenn Pure]

What a spectacular scene, Stuart, among all those birds... and big birds too. The take-off looks great with the big splash behind and great detail and tone on the bird. I would like to see a little more of that large flock in the background and would have moved the whole frame up when photographing this so there was a bit more at the top and a bit less at the bottom, but always a bit tricky when trying to keep the bird in the centre for the AF. In such cases, as Artie has noted in his blog, it's hard to resist the temptation to go tight but it's often better to zoom back a bit more so you have more frame to play with in the composition. Still a great shot though.

[Jake Levin]

Hi there fellow QC photographer! I was curious if the geese had made their way back to the reservoir, and it looks like they most certainly have!

I love the splash and the take-off pose. I would also move the whole frame up a bit to lower the bird, but that's not as easy when the bird is taking off right in front of you. Content aware fill might be able to give you some wiggle room.

Jake Levin, Montreal

[Stuart Edwards]

Thanks for the comments guys . i did originally try content aware to add a little to the top but i didn't like the result . I did end up taking a bit off the top when I cropped it to pano , but that was a cluttered shoreline that didn't look very nice.
Jake yes they are there in good numbers , over 100 000 the day i was there(oct 28). i was told by a local guide that they tend to stay in the fields if there has been rain and there has been an abundance of that this week. As long as we don't get heavy frost or significant snow on the ground , they should be around for at least a few more weeks.