Snail Kite

[Alfredo Fernández]

Hey,
i want to share this image with you.
a Snail Kite in the Manu National Park, peru. december 2009
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5271558955_b3ab3c902f_b.jpg

D60, 70-300mm VR @300mm, F5.6, 1/500, ISO 320, Handheld
LR3 & CS5
image was about 1 1/3 stops underexposed.
I really wish to hear your comments,
thanks a lot,
Alfredo

[Tony Whitehead]

Nice attentive pose which shows the unique bill well, Alfredo. I like the colour of the surrounding foliage. Did you intentional under-expose or was it under-exposed by the auto exposure of the camera due to the bright BG and you needed to increase the exposure in post? Usually an image like this with a dark subject and bright BG would need +1 to 1.6 to expose the subject properly and minimise noise in the dark tones. I would be tempted to remove the twig poking from the front of the kite's head and maybe add a bit more selective sharpening to the bird. The 70-300 is a great lens but can be a bit soft at 300mm unless you close down a stop or 2.

[Randy Stout]

Alfredo:

Tony provided you with an excellent critique, hit all the major points.
This is the type of image where you really need to watch the exposure compensation, as the metering system will be fooled, and you need to see how the subject is being exposed. Even better, manual exposure, so you can control it all.

This is the first snail kite I have seen not from Florida, appreciate it.

Randy

[Alfredo Fernández]

Thanks Randy & Tony,

i know a LOT more exposure now, that was more than a year ago.
the snail kites are quite common in the lowland rainforest, sadly only been there once :S
i have one question, one of the birds i want to photograph really bad is the Osprey, and as im going to florida in febrary, i want to know where is good spot to see it?
Im leaving to the highland rainforest for a week now, see you in a week!!
Thanks,
A

[Randy Stout]

Alfredo:

It is hard not to see ospreys in Florida. I visit the west coast near Ft. Meyers every year, and at least in that area, they are everywhere near the water. You might want to put a post in the Florida subsection, to get some hotspots that are close to where you will be.

Cheers

Randy