Piping Plover

Canon 1D MKIV
F 500 and 1.4X converter
ISO 400 F 8.0
SS 1/1600
Taken during Mike Milicia's plover and tern workshop last June in Mass.
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

Gail:

Excellent shooting angle. Like the shapes of the bird and the legs/bill, nice pose. Sharp, well exposed, nice comp for me( maybe a sliver off the top as an option)

I am a bit bothered by all the fine debris/vegetation in the water near the bird. Might try a version with that softened a bit.

Cheers

Randy

Gail

A very simple, yet elegant image. Your shooting angle is just right, as you got a great composition and were able to include all of the reflection.

I think the clean look would lend well to Randy's suggestion of softening the debris, although I'm not sure I would have noticed it had he not mentioned it.

Miguel

The simplicity really works here, Gail. Debris works well for me as it depicts the environment but in a subtle way. Wouldn't touch a thing if it were mine.l

I agree with Marina. I like it as posted. I like the raised leg indicating movement, the beak in the water indicating feeding. Great POV & techs.

Such a beautiful image, Gail. Love the ultra low angle. The light is great and your exposure is perfect.
You've captured a great pose to go along.

My new lens worked better in your hands Gail :-)

Nice image, you must have had some mud on your clothes/face after this shot! Or, is that the brown'ish residue on the focus ring :D :D

Lovely image Gail, and nice exposure of the whites.

I agree with the others, sweet, simple and pretty much perfect.

Gail - I also agree and wouldn't change a thing. Beautiful soft light, low pov, exp and sharpness. Congrats on this one!

TFS,
Rachel

Obvious biases aside, this is truly a lovely image!

The light is wonderful and I really like the feeding pose with all of the angles and the look of concentration.
Excellent detail and the exposure and colors are perfect, as is the composition.
I have taken more than my share of images of these birds and this is as good as it gets in my book ... congrats!

Gail:
Every thing has been said about this wonderful image.
Great IQ,superb low angle,nice feeding pose,colors,details,and beautiful reflection on lovely BG.

Regards,
Satish.

None of these little wading birds make a photographers life easy, my hat goes off to anyone who pulls a decent shot of these types...this ones very nice and liking the natural habitat . I personally do think it could do with a crop off the top and maybe a slight tweak to reduce a couple of bright spots

Excellent image. Light quality is great. Low shooting angle is pleasing. Really
like the foraging pose. I also enjoy the bird's size in the frame.

A really nice clean image, the colour of the water is perfect for the bird. Nice touch with its feet and bill all hidden under the water. Composition is nice, - I bet you got a bit muddy taking this one.

Hi Gail, exquisite light in this, and love how the feet and half of the beak are submerged in the water. The exposure and sharpness are both spot on, as is the placement of the plover in the frame. I also wouldnt change anything except taking a bit off the top.

Thank you all for your comments.
I find it interesting how I post some shots that I think are OK (like this one) and it gets such a positive response and others that i post that I think are great and they just get a so-so response!
It makes me think we should have each other go through our files and pick out images that one may have dismissed and others may find awesome!
I am away for the next 10 days so see you then,
Gail

Wonderful shot.
I really like the feeding pose, lovely light, excellent comp, and great IQ.
Very well done.

Nice room, Gail. It illustrates how small they really are. Fine job.

Gail, lovely image, great bird position. I really don't see a reason to change anything.

Colin

Sweet pose nice exposure and just a simple peaceful feel about it. I Like