Common Nighthawk

[Bob Shaw]

I don't believe I've ever seen one on a perch before. It had been on or close to the ground when I walked by, and flew a few feet to this shoulder high perch and went back to sleep. Blurred the bg, but I'm not very good at cloning. Thanks for any comments. Bob

50D,300f4+1.4TC,@f5.6,ISO400,1/800,0.0EV,spot metered

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd276/BobandPat/whipporwill.jpg

[Brian Barcelos]

I really like this one. Great exposure, feather detail looks great. Would be better with the intersecting and top left branch's removed.
Brian

[Bob Shaw]

Thanks Brian, but I have to correct my I.D. It's a common nighthawk. Duh

[Harold Davis]

only seen the nighthawks buzzing around like jets. this is different. would clone out those intersecting branches. might tone down the whites a little too.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great find and eye contact. Could you have moved to your right? Removing the branches in the BG and increasing the color temperature would improve this image a lot. Please post the techs, it helps with commenting.

[Bob Shaw]

Sorry for the left out info Axel... and after it landed and I saw it wasn't going anywhere, I positioned myself for the best morning light and bg. Thanks, Bob

[Ilija Dukovski]

Nice texture and colors, not an easy bird to spot.
I agree with Axel about the angle, there's tons of discussion
and info on Head Angle issue in Educational Resources forum.
I think it is very much worth reading.

When it comes to cloning I would suggest to try Quick Mask
especially for big pieces like these. It is covered in Artie's
Digital Basics and it is quite easy done after a bit of practice.

[Stu Bowie]

Stunning light and detail, and I like the relaxed pose. Interesting feather texture matching the the perch. This is nice and sharp too. I find the horizontal OOF branches a bit distracting.

[Thomas Boysen]

Very nice capture. I came upon one a few years back doing exactly what you described but only had a P&S on me, so no great IQ. They nest on the ground and I suspect that sitting on a branch close by is to lure the intruder away. Stepping around to find the best angle is not the best thing to do so you take what you get and clone later.

[Bob Shaw]

Thank you all for the fine comments! The forest preserve does an annual spring burn off, that's why the branch looks a little like charcoal on one end. Bob

[Ramon M. Casares]

I would warm it up just a bit, but I really like this one, the fact that the subject is not on the floor makes it for me! Great BG, detail, comp and light too. Congratulaitons.