Purple Sandpiper

[Doug Hitchcox]

Heres another Purple Sandpiper. After the first 'shoot' I had with them, I realized I didn't have any shots that had a clean background... so that was my target when I found them again. Here is my favorite.

Camera: Canon EOS 30D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Exposure Bias: 0ev
ISO: 250
Focal Length: 330mm
Full frame, Gitzo 3530LS

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Head angle and eye contact are great. I would have chosen a higher ISO and stopped down more for wider DOF. The image could go a tad brighter for my taste.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Although minor, I really wish the small part of breast was not peeking up the bill. Do you have another frame where the bird's head is angled a bit more parallel? I'm sure it would have hidden that small detail. I like the overall feel to the image. I would suggest extending the OOF portion above the tail to make it look like it's going behind the bird instead of falling downward abruptly.

[Doug Hitchcox]

Thanks guys. I agree that I should have stopped down a bit and odds are good that I have another shot of this guy that his head is a little higher up... most shots were roosting but when he did look up I fired away.
Thanks again!