Sleeping Hoodie

Another shot from the local pond. I'm trying to make it out there a couple of times a week to get better at my exposure decisions. It took a while for the hoodies to get comfortable with my presence, even with me under a cloth blind. But once they got used to me (and still stayed on their side of the pond), I was able to get a couple shots of them resting their eyes. Shot in DX mode and still cropped about 40%. Hopefully I can get them to get in a little closer over the next week or two.

Shooting Info:
Nikon D800 | 500 f/4 + 2x in DX mode (~ 1500mm)
1/160" | f/8 | ISO 800

Hi Miguel,
I like the body angle, raised tail and low POV.
The whites look grey to me (maybe due to using too much Detail Extractor? )
Agree these guys are a nightmare to expose for and you did well. A cloudy day or high overcast day is the only way to go!
Once you can get them a bit closer to you the detail in the feathers will really shine through!
Gail

I like the pose, looks very nice, Miguel. I wish for an open eye as they have great looking eyes.
The exposure looks good on the head and the body, except the breast that looks patchy for some reason.

Hi Miguel, lovely low angle of capture, and you have exposed this fellow nicely. I like the raised tail, but would have thought it would have been 'drooping down' due to being 'asleep' :w3. Love the hint of blue in the upper BG.

The POV is excellent, and the bird itself set beautifully. I am also a tad concerned with the white on the head and chest. It's showing through quite dull and grey. How was the original histogram? Did you have to lower your exposure in post processing which caused possibly a loss in white details?

Thanks for the comments! Stuart, maybe he was just resting. I do have at least 7-10 shots of him with his eyes closed though, so this wasn't just a blink. Although I also have a series of a different male with his head tucked into his feathers - possibly sleeping?

Beautiful shot Miguel! The details are fantastic and nicely exposed! I didn't find the white to be too grey. However, I noticed a bit of chromatic fringing on the border between the whites and the blacks. Ideally, I prefer not to see the blue patches in the upper BG, but it is what it is eh!

I like the sleepy look and you did well with the large crop (D800 is awesome),
A bit of noise on the tail feathers.
You will get a closer look if you keep trying.

Very nice shot.
I love the calmness of this shot.
Great pose, great shooting angle, and nice details despite the crop.
Very well done.