Theme-Spotted sandpiper chick

[gail bisson]

While on a hike with family around Warren Lake in the Highlands National Park in Cape Breton I saw a spotted sandpiper and took a few shots of her and decided to return the next day for a proper photo shoot!:S3:
I found her the next day and she was very cooperative. I watched her for about 30 minutes when all of a sudden I noticed 2 little fluff balls come scurrying out of the undergrowth. I was able to get about 10 shots and this was the best one. I didn't stick around after that as I did not want to stress Mom or baby.
Canon 7D
f 2.8 70-200 at 200 mm
ISO 640
SS 1/1250
F 4.0
Cropped by 50%
Love to hear your comments and critiques,
Gail

[Joe Senzatimore]

Now I understand why they are hard to spot.:2eyes2: Nice catch and smart move not staying too long.:S3: Wish others felt the same way. As for the image itself , might try to darken the BG so the subject stands out a bit more. Tough conditions , and I think you did well , all things considered.:5 Maybe a tighter crop , if the image could stand it.

[Karl Egressy]

The chick looks great, Gail.
Unfortunately the shiny water surface takes away some attention from the subject.
Also, I find that the subject is lost in the large space. I would do a tighter crop darken the background, totally get rid of the shiny water. It all can be done in layers in a minute using highlight/shadows tool and layer mask reveal all, and reveal the bird or as the original. To remove the water you can simply use the patch tool works well here. There are many other ways of course.
Just my two cents.

[Dave Leroy]

They sure do blend into bg. Well done to get the shot.

Little chick appears a little dark in places to me, so a little darker bg and brighter chick may get more separation. Also if mine I may look at bit of crop from top only to just above the green and then lose the green.

Good for you to not bother the birds and still have gotten quite close.

Dave

[gail bisson]

Here is my repost. This is my first try using a layer mask and curves. Did i do it right?I also cropped from top.
Gail

[Karl Egressy]

Looks much better, Gail!!!

[christopher galeski]

very nice image Gail,and the repost is a lot better,thanks.

[Wynand van Wyk]

Ditto on the repost, the darker background adds a lot. Lovely detail!

Well done!:S3: