Razorbill

[Alex Becker]

Hi all,

Hoping to sneak a couple in last minute for the theme -- a razorbill from Farne Islands. Background is the ocean. Small crop. Wish the rest of the beak was in focus, but sadly didn't get a perfect parallel turn.

Camera: Nikon D500
Lens: 300 PF f/4
Specs: 1/2000 ISO 1600 f/6.3

Thanks for looking and commenting on prior posts!
Alex

[Victor Banerjee]

Hi Alex,
Nice pose of the subject. I would like the image even more if the beak is also in focus.
-Victor

[Dorian Anderson]

This is a wonderful look at the eye. That iris is incredible. I too wish the whole beak was in focus, but it's still a pretty sweet shot.

[Arthur Morris]

Pretty darned nice. With all that shutter speed your surely could have stopped down more than a bit. Otherwise, this a a perfect example of the advantages of a two or three degree head turn toward you, especially for tight head shots where d-o-f is at a premium. That puts the bill more on the same plane as the eye.

with love, artie

[Bill Dix]

Good head shot, with great look at the eye which is often hard to see in this species. Agree with your self-critique.

[John Mack]

That eye looks really cool. Image looks to be spot on nice detail in the blacks and whites. The grey background compliments the bird very well.

[William Dickson]

Very nice Alex. Love the feather colour and detail, and the eye is fab. I've photographed them a few times and I know how difficult it is, especially if you don't get good light. Well done.

Will

[Daniel Cadieux]

Apart from the dof issue, all else rocks. I love the eye and the pattern around the pupil.

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

I love the Eye. I agree with the Dof.

Very nicely done.

Thanks for sharing.

[Alex Becker]

Thanks all, much appreciated. In hindsight I would have gone a bit lower on SS and a bit more DOF. Gives me a reason to go back :). Best,

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Alex, A follow-up question: was this created left of the lighthouse on a cloudy afternoon?

with love, artie

[Alex Becker]

Hey Alex, A follow-up question: was this created left of the lighthouse on a cloudy afternoon?

with love, artie

You're too good Artie -- yep, in that rocky area where they usually have one of the rangers stationed

[Nikhil Patwardhan]

The eye is amazing, I like the detail in the dark tones on the bird, I did not think the D500 would be this good at ISO 1600. Have you applied any NR?

[Alex Becker]

The eye is amazing, I like the detail in the dark tones on the bird, I did not think the D500 would be this good at ISO 1600. Have you applied any NR?

Thanks Nikhil. I did apply some NR, lightly on the bird and then heavier on the BG. I follow along with Artie and Arash's NR guide for Professional Photographers which is very good. I hesitated for a bit to pull the trigger as the Neat Image plugin is I think 70-80$, but of course after finally getting it it's probably the best bang for the buck purchase I've made for my photography. I find I can go ISO 3200 (and even above when properly exposed) and get a pretty clean output.

[Arthur Morris]

You're too good Artie -- yep, in that rocky area where they usually have one of the rangers stationed

Thanks Alex. This is not my first rodeo :)

with love, artie

[Isaac Grant]

Very pretty details. I echo what everyone else says re the details and shot, also the depth of field. I will raise a separate issue. I think your colors are a bit off.While I have not been quite as close to Razorbills as you were here, I have seen many of them over the years. They are a bit of a deeper black than you have portrayed here as the blacks look a bit thin to me. While that helps to show some details I do not think it is spot on for what these birds look like. Typical disclaimer re global adjustments and didn't try and get the whites perfect. While the difference is subtle, I think it makes a big difference to the shot.

[Arthur Morris]

Notes for Isaac.

#1 - Great to have you back.

#2: The heads of razorbills are actually dark brown with a hint of maroon. Not black.

with love, artie

[Isaac Grant]

Yes I am aware of the colors of the birds, but the colors are not as thin and pale as in the original post. My repost is on the bottom.

[Alex Becker]

Hey Isaac -- seeing your RP it is a subtle different but does give it more oomph. It's funny this bird is a bit of a PP nemesis for me. I've only seen them a couple times and each time I try to make a note of the colors and tones, and then when I go to process them its a bit out the window :bugeyed:. Thanks again,