Northern Shoveler Lift off

[Art Peslak]

Belmar NJ
Nikon D3s, 600mm f/4 with 1.4 TC, ISO 800, 1/800 at f/8.

[Randy Stout]

Art:

Great timing with strong sense of action, between splash and blurred wings.
Wish there was just a bit more room on the left.

Some great shovellers showing up recently!

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Well timed for the take off Art. I like how the head and neck are peeping through the wings, and good exposure on the greens of the head. Looks a bit overcast.

[Todd Frost]

Nicely timed, agree with a little more room in front of bird. Maybe lighten the shoveler just a bit as I think there are more details in the shadows to exploit.
Todd

[Daniel Cadieux]

Just a little bit more room at left and perhaps above too, and I wish the splash was sharper. Great timing on your part, and I love the sense of movement on the wings. Head is nice and sharp!

[Albert Froneman]

Head sharpness is great and I like the movement created by the wings. I'd try a cooling filter over the water to bring in a little more blue. I also agree that a little more space on the left would add to the image. ;)

[Randy Stout]

Art:
I had a second at lunch to tinker with your image, some of my ideas, some from Daniel.

I expanded canvas to the left, would be easier on raw file without signature
Sharpened the water splash selectively
Removed the subtle green color cast
Brought up the exposure of the non white areas of the bird a bit

Again, you can do a better job on the raw file, but I think the image has lots of potential.

Cheers

Randy

[Steve Maxson]

A cool action photo, Art. I like the wing position and the splash. I think Randy's repost is an improvement. You might consider removing the 2 darker areas in the OOF background. Well done.

[Dan Busby]

Very nice image Art. Agree with re-post suggestions. Great timing. Nice sharp head and eye and terrific water splash from this little jumper.