Marbled Godwit with reflection

[Noel Heustis]

This is a Marbled Godwit I photographed this past weekend in almost mirror like water conditions.

Canon 7Dii and 500mm ƒ/4 ii + EF 1.4x iii extender
ISO 500
AV ƒ/5.6
TV 1/2000
Focal Length 700mm
Manual Exposure / Servo / AF Point Expansion / Back Button Focus

Processed in DPP4 and PScc
I had to rotate the image a bit.

Thanks for taking the time to look. As always, telling me what you like about the shot, and what might improve the final product is appreciated.

[John Mack]

Really like the smooth transition to the background. Low angle is nice as is the pose on the bird. Too bad you didn't get the perfect mirror reflection.

[Isaac Grant]

Details look nice and I like the open beak. This is a nice shorebird image of a bird I am dying to photograph. I did the following

Took a little off the bottom (just above your signature) and added to the top.
Added some more saturation and blue to the water (don't think I got the water color perfect, but just wanted to show that it could be a bit more blue and vibrant)
Added a few points of black to the blacks in levels, reduced midtones a few points.
Upped exposure .13
Used Viveza and added +5 warmth to the whole image.

Subtle changes that I think really bring this to life.

[Dorian Anderson]

One of my favorite birds! A winter staple for me here in the Bay Area. This is a nice view of this guy, and Isaac as usual has squeezed just a touch more out it. Love the the angle and reflection.

[Noel Heustis]

Thanks John, Isaac, and Dorian for commenting. Isaac the color of the water and the lack of vibrancy were the main things that bugged me about this image. Thanks for the quick rework. Your version definitely looks better. I'll have to check out Viveza as well. Thanks for the lesson.