Purple Snowpiper

[Kirk Zufelt]

Hello:

I spent yesterday on the Muskegon breakwall on Lake Michigan photographing this bird. Very icy footing, intermittent blizzard conditions and gale force winds made for an "interesting" experience.
I packed it in after a ferocious gust of wind almost blew me off the breakwall.

Kirk Zufelt

Nikon D3-300mm VR
1/1250
F4
ISO1600

[Tony Whitehead]

You've really captured the mood here, Kirk. I love the falling snow. The problem for me is the blown snow and dark bird. You may be able to recover the snow from the raw file and then process another version with the bird lighter and then combine the 2 with layer masks. I have tried a version selectively lightening the bird with S/H and curves and then a bit of NR on the BG. Would be nicer if the bird were facing a bit more toward you but it sounds like a precarious environment you were in.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Flash would have made a big difference here but Tony's repost shows that the image is salvagable, and I would also revisit the RAW file (if that is the mode you photograph in) to see if the whites can be tamed. I love the snowy conditions you caught here. Head turn already mentioned :-)

[Arthur Morris]

Glad that you survived. Nice image and great job on the repost. Wish only for a better head angle. Be careful out there.