Least Sandpiper

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 7D
Canon EF400mm f/5.6L
1/2500sec f/8 ISO 500 HH

Large crop, S/H, Sharpening in CS5
NR in Noiseware Pro


These guys are so small and so fast that I never thought I'd be able to get a flight image. How about those red weeds at the bottom? Evict or keep?

[Grace Scalzo]

Ian, Great to catch the leap as you have here. I am fine with the red mud or weeds, as it anchors the image, however there is some clear evidence of post processing work and the large crop has taken a heavy toll on IQ. There also appears to be a purple color cast and the bird itself could use some more sharpening, imho.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks for commenting, Grace. I agree that the crop is less than ideal. Aside from that, please tell me what PP evidence you're seeing. I really didn't do very much except for crop, a little S/H, not enough sharpening, and some NR. I'm not seeing the purple cast on 2 different calibrated monitors. It was early sunrise lighting - could that be the cast you're referring to?

When I get home from work, I'll go in and play with the sharpening some more.

[Marina Scarr]

Hi Ian:

You have a killer pose here! The wings and positioning are just perfect, as is the BG. Due to the large crop, I think the bird's head could use some more sharpening.

If you look beneath both sides of the bird's feet, you will see the evidence to which Grace is referring. Some of it looks as though it may have been grasses, but just to the left under the bird's feet you will see it looks as though something went wrong in PP.

I would keep the red grasses. Your exposure here was really on the money too!

Marina

[stuart wanuck]

nice image good whites

[Ian Cassell]

Hmmm, Marina, that IS odd. I'm at work so I don't have the original here, but don't know what's going on under the foot. I'll have to check that out when I get home! Thanks for looking.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Way wicked landing pose!! However, I'm with the others as far as IQ goes, as well as heavy evidence of some PP work (clone marks, including repeated patterns). With a bit more TLC you'd have a real winner here, just be careful with the post-processing...

[Ian Cassell]

Lightbulb goes on above my head! I think I know what happened (I'll have to check when I get home). I cloned out some schmutz down there before I cropped. Mistake! I'll go back to original and crop and enlarge it first and then work on the debris down there.

[Stu Bowie]

Good landing posture Ian, and well placed in the frame. Im in agreement regarding this being a big crop thus losing IQ, and would run some NR on the BG.