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Mike Fuhr
08-29-2008, 05:08 PM
Here's a photo I took a few months ago. I was real close to an anhinga -- the feathers on his back were quite beautiful at that range so I decided to take a few to see how they looked. This one was cropped slightly.

Nikon D50
100-300 F/4
1/400
F/6.3 (-0.33)
ISO 200

Mike

Julie Kenward
08-29-2008, 06:29 PM
Wow...how cool to be that close! I really like that you went in for the pattern and texture of the feathers but there are a few small things I think you could do to make this even stronger than it already is. First, I went in and did a shadow/highlight adjustment so it opened up the dark area between the two wings just a little bit more. Then, I went into curves and played with the blue color only to give the blue tones a bit more pop. Finally I cropped just a bit off the bottom so the wing feathers hit right above the crop point on the lower left corner (LLC). These are all just ideas for you to consider and play around with.

Robert O'Toole
08-29-2008, 10:03 PM
Mike

Classic shot well done, sharpness and most importantly contrast looks good. These birds are impossible to shoot in high contrast light.

This is one of those cases where I prefer the Orig Post much more. Well the crop is better to my eye in Julie's but artifacts really spoil the effort. Also the blue cast does not look life like.

Robert

Mike Fuhr
08-30-2008, 07:57 AM
Thanks for the kind words. I agree with both of you on the crop -- looks better that way. I too prefer the original. I don't mind the darker areas. To me, that adds to the depth of the photo. I shot this bird many times, but he always seems to be in this spot when the light is really harsh. This was one evening where it was better than normal. He let me get within 15 to 20 feet and then leave without flying away. The birds on Hilton Head Island are fairly used to people which makes for good photo ops.

Anita Rakestraw
09-02-2008, 04:08 PM
Mike, I really do like this image and prefer the original all the way around. I think the nearly B&W appearance appeals alot to me on this. It would make a great B&W if you are so inclined.

Mike Moats
09-04-2008, 07:14 AM
Hey Mike, love the textures and patterns, Well done.