If you....

live within 500 miles of Gibsonton, FL, or if you can get some time off from work, you need to travel to Gibsonton, FL (you would fly into either Tampa or Clearwater/St.Pete) and get out for a few days with James Shadle on the Hooptie Deux asap. (Click on the words James Shadle for more info.)

Yesterday morning James took out a slew of BPN Mods and I personally enjoyed one of the best mornings of bird photography in my 28 years of doing this. Many of the spoonbills were in killer plumage already and even though we had a large group of folks, we were able to get quite close. Most everyone got great flight images but I choked on my very best chance....

This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-1DMIV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/800 sec. at f/11 set manually.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

ps: I will be posting more images from the morning to my blog very soon; will return and post the link.

Awesome! Just love the layered feather detail!

Love the soft pink colors and the layers the feathers create especially on the birds left wing. I also like the hint of clouds in the bg. Maybe a bit of cw rotation?

This is really beautiful! Great light and colours, perfect exposure control and a fantastic pose! Would prefer to see this as a vertical with much more room at the bottom (for the virtual leg) and some on the top.

How is this bird standing up? Beautiful and inspiring image.

Standing on one leg with no problem :)

Ofer, I had more room below but for me, the REFL in the green water was distracting so I cropped to a tight square to emphasize the plumage. I mentioned the square crop idea to James as we were photographing this gorgeous bird.

Great image and composition Artie. Might need a bit of CW rotation though?

Gorgeous shot Artie, the feathered ladder look on the left wing is awesome.

Beautiful image, Arthur. An awsome preening pose. Fantastic lighting, color and detail. And all that at 1120mm on a boat.
Peter

Great light and I like the pose of the bird. LIke that red eye as well.

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Standing on one leg with no problem :)

Ofer, I had more room below but for me, the REFL in the green water was distracting so I cropped to a tight square to emphasize the plumage. I mentioned the square crop idea to James as we were photographing this gorgeous bird.

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Would be interesting to see the original with more room at the bottom and maybe offer a different crop as composition in this one is not balanced IMO - especially as the virtual leg is cut.

Could need a bit of CW rotation now that I look more closely at the ripples in the water. Thanks Alvan.

Peter, we get out of the boat to photograph :)

Ofer, Here is the full frame original image.

Artie, you have posted some amazing images on the site, but I rate this one of your best. I really like the pose, and you have nailed the exposure and colours very well. Good choice of aperture too. Take a bow here.

Artie, agree....certainly mindblowing. what a pose....plus the colors, eye, exposure...superb. I agree with Ofer on the vertical crop suggestion. I actually liked the pink REFL that you cropped out...If mine, I'd keep some more REFL but not add at the top of the OP.

Artie I think awesome is an often misused word but wow this one really is! I love the colours the detail the pose and the crop - just gorgeous - congratulations!

Thanks again all :) For me it is the rows and rows of the undersides of the primaries and secondaries of the bird's left wing that make this one very special.

Totally beautiful Artie I really love the position of the wing feathers as the image really draws you through every detail. Awesome!

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Thanks again all :) For me it is the rows and rows of the undersides of the primaries and secondaries of the bird's left wing that make this one very special.

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I agree.

Have you considered removing the black area what I presume is his foot at the base of its tail ?

The layering feather on the left is simply amazing. I am so jealous.

Great pattern captured here.. very beautifully done Guru..

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Originally Posted by Tin Man Lee

The layering feather on the left is simply amazing. I am so jealous.

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Tin Man, Better to be envious :) But thanks and Kiran too.

I like the way the bill mingles with the feathers... nice job. Also thanks for the tip about getting lower to blur the background more. Going to be thinking about that this weekend.

Charles

Great color and detail of feathers, excellent exp. Artie. Love the standing on one leg pose. See what you mean about cropping out the reflection to focus on plumage.

Superb image, caught at just the right moment to show the marvelous layering of feathers. Super color. Good comments above including a tad of CW rotation, and maybe a little room at the bottom, although I can see your point about concentrating on the bird.

Absolutely stunning image, colours, sharpness,light and pose. Agree with Stuart, it must rate right up there with your best. I prefer the crop in the OP for the reason you mentioned and the artistic feel it creates.

A stunning image Artie! You see so many images of Spoonies, but they all start looking the same after a while. This one is totally fresh.

Love the pink and the unusual preening pose, looks like It is time to go out there again.
Thanks for the update.

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Ofer, Here is the full frame original image.

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Thanks Artie, there is not enough room at the bottom to get a well balanced vertical. Jame's similar shot shows what I had in mind.
Still a lovely shot!!:w3

Thanks. Where did you see James' image???

Never mind Ofer :) I found it.

You can check out today's blog post, "A Morning in Spoonbill Heaven," here.

very cool, the colors are nice and the arrangement of feathers makes this one very unique.

one of the best spoonbills I have seen. Very unique post as Arash stated.

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Thanks again all :) For me it is the rows and rows of the undersides of the primaries and secondaries of the bird's left wing that make this one very special.

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That is exactly what I was looking at. You capture him at his best Artie.

When I die I prefer Spoonbill heaven please. Artie: most beautiful. thank you

Continued thanks :) Mike, it is the bent ankle I believe. I would never think of removing it.

I have to agree with everyone here, a beautiful image Artie. Infact this is Top Class thanks for sharing :cheers::cheers: