2000th post, Pectoral Sandpiper

[Dan Brown]

A big THANK YOU to all of you who have taken the time to post and critique here on BPN! I learn every time that I log on! I hope to learn as much in the next 2000 posts as I have in the previous! Keep up the good work all!

Well, this isn't the best image that I have ever made but it is the one that I am currently "in love with" I captured this at a local wildlife area where we have had a few good shorebird migrants lately. I wish for less messy grass and a lower angle but I was already in 6 inches of water and wasn't prepared to whaller! PP'ed, removed a spec highlight in bg and cropped with NX2 and CS3, sharpened with and nr with Noiseware Pro. This is about 80% of full frame.

Camera Model: NIKON D300, handheld, in a squat!
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 8
Exposure mode: Manual
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Center-weighted average
ISO: 400
Lens: 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Focal length: 400mm
Focal length: 600mm (in 35mm film)
VR Image Stabilization: On
AF mode: AF-C
White balance: AUTO
Active D-Lighting: Off
Picture control: STANDARD

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Congrats on 2K....and yes, it is indeed a photo you should love. IQ and DOF are excellent.

[ann shiller]

Beautiful. It is a wonderful, clear, capture. It also captures the personality of the bird, I can't quite say how, but I can see it.

[ann shiller]

Tripod?

[Dan Brown]

Tripod? Ann, as I included in the EXIF shooting data, Handheld in the squatting position!

[Randy Stout]

Dan:

Congrats on number 2000! It seems like just yesterday for me:D
Excellent exposure, nice DOF, good head angle for the light direction, good shooting angle.
Agree with self critique about background an shooting angle. Lower yet would have reduced the background problem, at the expense of very wet clothes!
I do think you could lower the luminosity of the offending plant material so it doesn't compete so much with the bird.

Cheers

Randy

[ChasMcRae]

Nice portrait of this bird in migration in actual habitat.
Exposure and detail look great although I would have preferred a little more turn away .I Like the eye contact and its direction.

[denise ippolito]

Dan, Big congratulations on the 2000th post. You were one of my first friends on BPN. I have enjoyed the images you have shared with us. Not to mention your expert help with the Asian Theme weeks. Very nice pose and sharpness. I don't have a good shot of one of these yet. It looks like you did a great job HH this one. Randy makes a good point regarding the vegetation.

[Stephen Stephen]

Congratulations on number 2000 Dan. Nice angle on this bird as it approaches your camera. I agree with your self-critique.

[subhrashis]

Congrats on the 2000th post!

Lovely inquizitive eye contact, position, and details on the bird here! I can see why you would love it.

Pity about the background, it does compete somewhat. Do you have any images taken immediately before/after, with the bird before the visible patches of clear water to either side

[Daniel Gomez-Ibanez]

I have a bias for photos that show the bird in its natural setting, and like this shot very much, including the 'messy grass!' I don't think I'd change it. I think the head angle, with the bird looking right at me as it approaches, is especially fine. Congratulations on 2000 posts!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Congrats on 2000 posts, and thank YOU for your awesome participation on the forums:cheers:

I agree with your self-critique, and the advice received from the other posters. Some of my very favorite images of mine, the ones I'm "in love with", also feature less than perfect techs and surroundings...Sometimes we remember certain images for the time spent in the field with a particular subject.

Here's to another 2000...and more!!

[Harshad Barve]

Congrats on 2000 posts , lovely image
TFS

[Ray Rozema]

Congrats Dan

great detail and color. Like the direct eye contact.

[Mark Young]

Congrats on your milestone post. It's a great image to be in love with.. until the next great image comes along! (love is so fickle! ;) ). The low angle and light are really nice. I like the vegetation as is, though I understand the preference for a cleaner bg. Though the second catchlight may be worth removing.

[Dan Brown]

Thanks to all for the nice comments and suggestions! Mark, the second catch light is a reflection of the sun on the water (as you are probably aware), no flash, so I decided to leave it, as that's what I saw.