American Oystercatcher at Sunrise

[Axel Hildebrandt]

It seems the snowy owls have left the area, and I photographed oystercatchers this morning. I made this image a few minutes after sunrise.

http://www.pbase.com/axelhi/image/111269725/original.jpg

1D3, 500f4, 1.4x, 1/250s, f/7.1, EC +0.33, ISO 800, cropped from horizontal

[Randy Stout]

Axel:

Great subterranean angle of view! Sharp, lovely light, good DOF use, perfect eye contact. I love the leg position.

My only observations would be the bill looks a bit oversaturated to me, perhaps even a bit hot, and it appears that the head might be turned just the smallest amount away. However, it works for me!

Very nice.

Randy

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Thanks, Randy! You are right about the bill. This is interesting. The reds in the 16bit TIFF file look fine, in the jpg file it looks oversaturated.

[Randy Stout]

Axel:

As I have been seeing a lot since I have been looking critically at blown areas in posted images, it is striking how often the jpg thats posted have at least some small blown areas, even though I know in my raw files they were OK, and I know that careful folks like yourself watch that as well.

I have started rechecking all my jpegs for any blown areas before posting.

Heck of a nice image though!

Randy

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Axel:

As I have been seeing a lot since I have been looking critically at blown areas in posted images, it is striking how often the jpg thats posted have at least some small blown areas, even though I know in my raw files they were OK, and I know that careful folks like yourself watch that as well.

I have started rechecking all my jpegs for any blown areas before posting.

Heck of a nice image though!

Randy

I just double-checked the tiff file. The reds go only up to 243. I didn't see it in the jpg on my desktop, probably because it has a wider gamut than my laptop. Certainly something to keep in mind.

[Ed Cordes]

I like the crossed legs and the head turn. On my lap top the colors look great. Only suggestion would be to consider cropping out the OOF sand at the bottom.

[LouBuonomo]

Axel.. were a long way from PA for an OC !

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Great exposure and pose Axel. Love the light too.

[Ramon M. Casares]

Priceless light, lovely head turn and exposure! Congratulaitons!

[Kobus Tollig]

Brilliant. Super light and great pose. Like the comp and great dof. Well done

[Stu Bowie]

Sweet light Axel, and love the head turn. Congrats.

[Juan Aragonés]

Outstanding job Axel. The light could not be better, love that pinkish mood of the scene and the warm tones in the dark plumage. Eye contact and head turn just perfetc and terrific OOF BG. Killer image!!!!

It is great to see this crop in vertical format because allow us to see more details but I am sure that this image would also work in landscape composition with a lot of that beautiful empty pink room at the right

[Steve Maxson]

Spectacular soft, reddish light, Axel. The pose and comp are very nice as well. I'm not seeing the turned away head that Randy mentioned - to my eye, the head seems very slightly turned toward you. I any case, when you can see through the nares, the head is pretty much perpendicular to the camera. Very well done!

[Randy Stout]

Steve:

The head angle is so close, that I might be wrong about it being turned away. Perhaps I am being influenced by a slight tilt of the top of the head away, and the bill is fine. Regardless, it is a fine image!

[David Roach]

The light... the BG... the head turn... the overall composition... awesome in my book!

[Mike Tracy]

Very captivating with the riveting eye staring right through you. The light and colors work in perfect harmony.

Might suggest trying to blend in the distant darkish oof pebble(?) above his toe which is more visible if the image is viewed from further away. The toenail itself appears to be without much definition but might be a result of resizing. I am getting really picky here though.