Printable View
Canon 1D4
500mm f4
Skimmer Pod
ISO 1000
1/2000 sec
f8.0
Taken at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge in NE Montana a couple weeks ago. I was lying on my belly at the lake's edge, with about 45 Western Grebes in front of me. Pretty amazing. My first time photographing this very elegant grebe.
I did lighten the eyes just a little bit. NR, sharpening, some crop.
Thanks so much in advance for any comments and critiques.
Glad to have you back posting Melissa!
Wow...the eyes are incredible. They just draw me right in.
Great low POV and DOF.
The feather detail in the black crown is excellent.
Could this use a little bit of CW rotation? It could be just an illusion because of the little wavelet.
I like your composition but could see this a bit tighter as well.
A wonderful shot,
Gail
Great job managing to catch this killer pose! Excellent exposure and detail!
Could maybe use a touch more contrast for my taste.
Nice choice of comp to center the head ... would add just a tad more room at the bottom if you have it.
Hi Melissa, you couldnt have got down any lower, so this is a great angle looking up into those red eyes - who is looking at who here. Overall, well exposed, sharp, and an interesting colour to the water. I like the inclusion of the brown band on top, what is it ? mist, foliage? Comp wise it works well as is with the central placement, but in my mind, I can see a vertical with lots of space below. :w3
Ooooh! Fab-U-Lous!
Jim
What a killer image, Melissa. That staredown is just so powerful. Love the symmetry of the eyes, straight on beak and the crest showing. The waves are gentle and I like the graduated BG. I might consider giving it a tiny bit of CCW rotation to put the pupils on the same exact level.
Love the triangle formed by the front on head, quite different....love the red eyes. Like the soft toned backdrop and water texture. Looks a little hazy and maybe lacking a little contrast, I presume it was a dull day. I see others have mentioned a possible CW rotation, but I'm not so sure as to do so would put the neck on a slight angle, so great the way it is.
Thanks all for the comments. I would rotate it as I see what you all mean, but then as Phil points out the neck would be more tilted. I did however boost the contrast a bit. It was a dreary day and the light was not great. Here's a repost.
Just excellent, Melissa.
Great call on the use of f8, tough angle to get all the bird in the Dof and it worked great.
I also would not rotate it.
Great stare down the pipe shot in this beauty. The blood red eyes in all the monochrome is awesome. Eposure , detail and comp look great too. Well done
Excellent shot.
Love the stare.
Great low angle, excellent details, and great comp.
Well done.
Re-post looks good.
Those eyes really draw you in. In my opinion, this is one bird where that straight-on look really works. The alignment here is perfect, which I consider essential in this type of shot. I've tried many times before, but never got it just right, as you have here. A little more feather detail in the black feathers at the top of the head might improve the image a bit, but you would probably have needed more light for that. Well done!
superb image! lovely low shooting angle, exposure & those red eyes are something else.
What a lovely eyes you have captured here,Melissa ?.Wonderful colors and very nice stare.Rest is superb.
Love the frame.Regards,
Satish.
Repost seems to be brighter. Agree on the CCW and more room on the bottom.
Great picture, nice deep shooting position and great eye contact.
