Breakfast flight

[Ron Boisvert]

Canon 20D w/ 70-200 f/4 w/ 1.4xTC @ 280mm, handheld
ISO 400, f/6.3 @ 1/2500, Aperture Priority, Auto Exposure, +1/3EV, minor crop sides and bottom

Taken about 1 1/2 hours after dawn at Bosque del Apache crane pool on 1/3/09; I'd appreciate comments about wing position, direction of light, composition, and anything else worth mentioning.

Thanks!

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Nice capture with less that 300MM focal length. I might borrow more from the left to give him room to fly. The exposure techs are solid. If the crop is minor, might try a tad more and make image larger to bring out eye and face.

Nice work, HH, no shadows and full wing position, sweet.

Love the feather tips.

[wendell westfall]

I like it a lot, Ron. I do think it would be improved a bit if you could bring out the head/beak/eye more sharply, more "contrasty" . . .

[Lance Peters]

HI Ron - sweet - lots to like here - good wing position, HA and eye contact - Baby blue sky compliments the bird nicely.
A tad more room for him to fly into and some additional sharpness/contrast to the head area.

Good show :)

[carole wiley]

Agree with more room and bringing out the head area. Love the wing position. Very nice capture!

[Jay Gould]

Hi Ron, another winner! :D

Agree with a bit more sharpening and room on the left.

BTW, whose breakfast were you referring to? The bird's or yours after shooting early in the morning? :D:D

Hey Jeff $, welcome to the LTM Club. ;):)

[Cheryl Flory]

agree with bringing out the eye. fantastic underwing detail! The sky is intense and striking. But a bit boring. Did you try a gradient filter/color to it?
absolutely wonderful image

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Jay,

Thanks, I am happy to be aboard. Cannot be #1, but #4 is ok, talk with you later my friend.

[Alfred Forns]

Sweet image Ron !!!

Love the flight position, soft light and sharpness !!! btw to really get critical you can select the eye and darken the pupil a bit, does make it appear even sharper !!! Big Congrats as good as they get !!!!

[Thanaboon Jearkjirm]

Good capture with the white, I like the wing position and spread wing tips. Agree about bring out the head.

[Ron Boisvert]

Jay, it could be said that I was starving for my breakfast, and was really glad that the last slowpokes finally took off for the Farm Loop. I will not stop shooting as long as there is a subject to shoot!! I can't leave (or eat) :( until the last bird leaves. Shooting time is very precious...

Cheryl, the sky is unfiltered and untouched. Are you suggesting I should modify the sky, or should have used a filter? If I can paraphrase Lance, get it right in the camera, and your work is almost done... I like the sky as is, and want my work to be done on this one.

The general comments about increasing the sharpness and extending sky to the left are welcomed. I cropped some off the left when I processed it. I'll put some back, and the .psd file can easily handle more sharpening. I try hard not to overdo the sharpening; I really don't like oversharpened images.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and comments. There's always room for improvement!

Onwards and upwards!

[Christopher Miller]

Coming in rather late, but I agree with the advice already given. Very well done BIF image, Ron!!!

[Richard Waas]

Ron, all the technical stuff has been covered. All I can say is it's a great image. The detail in the bird is fabulous. I'll be in Bosque in December, cannot wait..... Congrats!!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Ron
I am GREEN with envy mate! I have a huge affinity for cranes and your spot is the best in the world (arguably) for them. Perfect lighting and I would crop tighter too. There is hope for me and my 300+1.4tc too. YAY!
Thanks for sharing. :)

[Ron Boisvert]

Christopher, Richard and Ákos, Thanks very much for the feedback! I realize I am very fortunate to be so close to Bosque del Apache, and intend to visit more often. It's only a 2 hour drive from my home. When all the geese and cranes are massed there in winter, it is the most amazing experience...

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Rub it in Ron why don't ya? :( You lucky man.

I just noted you mentioned sharpening of the psd file? Is that before or after resizing for web view?

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Ron. Can't add much to all the good feedback - really nice work with the 200mm + 1.4. I shot thousands of pics with that combo and this is as good as it gets. We seem to be divided between tighter crop and more room, and I vote for more room on the left. Very easy to do and you could post at the full 1024 horizontal. Nicely done. Hope to get to Bosque one of these days... My mother and sister live in Roswell, could combine trips!

[Ron Boisvert]

Ákos, I should have been more clear. What I meant is that the capture was very sharp, and I could see that sharpness in my master .psd file, so that more quality sharpening is attainable without artifacts. I never sharpen a master before I know what size and use it is to be put to, except for minor preliminary sharpening in small areas, like eyeballs.

I'm trying very hard to produce consistantly sharp images so that my various sizing actions with their fixed sharpening settings will produce a consistent result, i.e. requiring less work in PP. My execution is not matching the theory yet, but that is my current approach. I toss a lot of 'crook' shots, mate (did I get the Qweensland-speak right?). So it goes...

The images you have posted on your website are extra sharp, and I will use them as a benchmark for my work. If you or anyone else sees a flaw in my current thinking, don't hesitate to let me know.

Onwards and upwards!

[Ron Boisvert]

Per Kerry's suggestion... Room to roam, and sharper too!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Awesome work on the repost Ron. And thank you. I am more than flattered Sir. :)

I do like your eye sharpening idea on the master file. I might look at checking out the difference for myself.

Where is Queensland? :D We don't rate those fly-blown, banana benders in the Premier State of New South Wales. Ah, and we call the Victorians Mexicans (south of the border), the SA folks are Crow Eaters, and WA people are Sandgropers. Northern Territory, well, best leave them off the map, and Tasmania is what I deduced: Where men are men and women were men. Pretty funny aye?

We take the mickey out of everyone in OZ including ourselves. The Qldrs call New South Welshmen cockroaches. Yuck. I guess I am one then.

[Kerry Perkins]

Sweeeet!! That puts it right over the top for me Ron! Really nice.

[Christopher Miller]

Repost is over the top, Ron! Way to go!

[Jay Gould]

Ron, Bingo!!

[Bob Miller]

Hi Ron....I liked the original post alot but I agree that the repost is over the top. That little bit of extra sharpening has made a big difference.

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Ron,
I like the raised wing position and flight angle...the details in the under wing is sharp with very good color rendition...the baby blue sky showcases your subject quite well...congrats...:cool: