Turnstone on mussel bed

[Jake Levin]

I got a few shots of these guys as they foraged at the Barnegat Jetty in New Jersey just before new year's. The turnstones and purple sandpipers are incredibly tame, but wind, light, and water level all worked against me (blasting clear sun, high tide in the morning, and 25 knots of wind straight into the sun) and I didn't get much. This was the only bird I managed to snap portraits of, since only he/she stood still long enough to allow the shot! All the other times, they were foraging in the mussel beds.

7D mkII
100-400 f/4-5.6 IS II
1/6400 @ f/6.3, ISO 800 (should've dropped the ISO to 400)
ACR/PS post processed. Toned down the contrast a bit on the background and ran some standard contrast and sharpening on the bird.

Thanks for looking,
Jake Levin

[Randy Stout]

Jake:

I like the composition, shooting angle, exposure.

The point of focus seems to be a bit anterior to the bird, based on the mussels there being sharper than the bird itself. Certainly no motion blur at that shutter speed.

Sounds like very difficult conditions.

Cheers

Randy

[Daniel Cadieux]

Lovely setting with all those small mussels. All it takes is one good picture of one subject to make an outing a success, although I realize a trip outside of home base we always expect and hope for more! I'd be tempted to warm it up a t tad.