Puffin with Daisies

[Bill Dix]

From the Latrabjarg cliffs, Iceland, in 2016. The Puffin was standing just outside his (or her) burrow. The flowers look like Daisies, but the foliage is different from our Shasta and Oxeye Daisies. Maybe someone knows what they are. This is almost full-frame shot in Portrait, with a sliver borrowed from another frame and added to the left to complete the left-most flower discs, and corresponding cut from the right. Some whitewash cleanup. I know this looks as if the bird is about to fall off the cliff, but I compared this to a number of other frames in Landscape mode and I'm pretty sure the camera is level. I like the way the orange color of the bill is reflected on the white breast.

D7200, VR 80-400 @ 260mm; ISO 2000, 1/320s @ f/9 manual.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I was going to say that I wished for a bit more room left and top, but I see you've already added some in. Even with a zoom it can be a discipline to think of zooming out. The daisy in top left corner is framed by square cloning artifact. Anyhow, apart from that I'm really liking this frame. Nicely decorated with those wildflowers. The neck looks like it may have been worked on? Or some NR on it?

[Bill Dix]

Oops! I missed that cloning mark -- the result of my having pasted in a bit of canvas. Thanks for pointing it out. The RAW file shows a few light patches on the neck, but likely made worse if I tried to lift the shadows a bit which I probably did.

[William Dickson]

Very nice Bill...Really liking the POV. The OOF rocks makes it look like the Puffin is standing on a ledge very high up...When I first saw the image, I thought Bill is takin a chance going that close to the edge. Good details in both blacks/whites ..The HA adds to the optical illusion

Will

[Brian Sump]

Bill, of course not a traditional smooth bkg/large dof photo but a very pretty one none-the-less. Seeing a Puffin with the Daisy-esque blooms is different and a nice pop of brightness and color.

Smooth light and nice detail. I know you'll fix up those clone remnants.

[dankearl]

The daisies are great, wish they were further back but I am sure you do as well..
Nice pose, A different Puffin shot, well done.

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all. I fixed the clone mark in my files. Will, the Puffin is indeed standing on a ledge very high up. Over 1000 feet sheer drop to the ocean. The sheer cliff face has a few indentations that allow one to crawl up to the edge and look down to a few Puffin burrows. It was not a risk on this day to lie on my belly and watch these cute little guys just below the rim. The previous day the wind was howling -- I saw several people on the grassy flats on top get literally blown off their feet -- so going near the edge on that date would have been suicidal.