Getting Too Close...

[David Roach]

EOS R6 RF 100-500 @500 f8 1/500 ISO 2000 HH, Manual EXP, Large crop from horizontal frame for portrait

After another lap around lake followed creating previous posts, saw the Family again just about to emerge from lakeside bramble. Road ahead and got all the way down behind a pond apple a couple meters from shores edge. Once again the alpha chick was leading the way and started up the bank right at me. Got even closer this time as the haze on the bottom is the tree root as I panned to stay on that eye.

[Arthur Morris]

Though I liked the first one better, this one is very well done. The upper edge of the bill, iii fact the whole bill, might benefit from going darker. You might try a Linear Burn as reduced Opacity ...

with love, artie

[Brian Sump]

David, very intimate portrait. I think the composition is strong and you handled the off-directional light well. Overall contrast looks ok from here.

For me this one has a sense of excessive lifting of the darks, particularly in the lower 1/3 of the image. Was there perhaps something very close in the foreground causing that effect?

I feel like it could also benefit from some additional sharpening in areas such as the eye and lores, assuming that it does, in fact have critical sharpness as it was shot at 1/500.

This has been a fun series, thank you.

[David Roach]

David, very intimate portrait. I think the composition is strong and you handled the off-directional light well. Overall contrast looks ok from here.

For me this one has a sense of excessive lifting of the darks, particularly in the lower 1/3 of the image. Was there perhaps something very close in the foreground causing that effect?

I feel like it could also benefit from some additional sharpening in areas such as the eye and lores, assuming that it does, in fact have critical sharpness as it was shot at 1/500.

This has been a fun series, thank you.

Hi Brian and thanks for those eagle eyes of yours. Yes the haze at the bottom was from a close (was using tree trunk as partial blind) tree root as I panned for the right to left movement. The top half has the shadows as processed. Tried to explain in the post but probably not clear. The critical focus was right on the eye with a very narrow DOF due to closeness of subject.
Thanks as always for very valued comments. Especially from two as astute as you.
Peace,
David

[Dorian Anderson]

Super look at this alien beast! Love how the colored beak pops against the darker plumage. The other two have mostly covered the technical consideration, but I'll echo the need to adjust the darks so they pop a bit more.

[dankearl]

I like it, Crazy look at this odd looking chick.

[John Mack]

Some more depth would be nice. Solid portrait though.