Snow Fight

I was belly in the sand shooting the terns when I heard the squawking of these two over a fish. I was too close for the first few frames but managed three good frames as they moved a bit. I was happy when I saw this one thru my hoodman loupe and happier when I got home.
Canon 1DMIII
Canon 300 mm 2.8L w1.4x
ISO 400 f8@1/2000 exp comp +1/3
Although the whites didnt show blown in Camera raw, I felt they were a bit bright so I brought down the exposure a little. The lowest foot was right on the line of a green toned wave so I relpaced it with the blue water to remove the distraction. I also added a cool filter after getting advice from Ofer on my last image. I tried to add some pop with curves and selectively sharpened. My hopes are that the birds aren't too blue and the whites aren't too much. I am still learning my post processing skils so please don't hesitate to offer suggestions. Thanks much.

Wow! Great capture. Good sharpness on both faces. I love the feathers on the wings of the righthand bird going every which way. The birds don't look too blue to me. The whites might still be a touch hot.

Great action shot and the whites look fine but not much detail which is hard to get.
Cool poses though and heads look sharp and very nice.

WOW! Teriffic action and behaviour shot!!!

Cheryl, great action and the fact that you have good HA on both birds and both is focus is wonderful. Well done.

excellent action!

This is a great action shot. I love the ruffled feathers of the bird on the left and the lines created by the wings and the feet. Absolutely awesome that you got both faces with good eye contact. In a perfect world the EV would have been -1/3 but you were shooting something else and( as I know well from experience:t3), it is hard to remember to readjust techs when exciting action happens right before us!!
Truly outstanding shot,
Gail

What an amazing shot Cheryl! Great work both during the action and in PP!

Cheryl, Super action image!

Cheryl:

Great action, fun poses, good head angles.

Still a little bright on the whites for my taste, but this image is a good example that impact trumps minor tech issues!

I think snowies are great fun, always rousting each other.

Cheers

Randy

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback.

Very nicely done Cheryl, love it when the snowy's interact together... Nice techs and avatar :S3:

Excellent interaction!! Nothing else to add here, but what a fun image indeed!! The best part is the two perfect HAs:S3:

Hi Cheryl, Another wonderful image just love the interaction, I hope you do not think I am picking on you but this image still needs a little more work in PS to reach its full potential. Like the Spoonbill image it needs a black point adjustment and a S curve to increase contrast a bit. Here is what I did with the image and would be interested in hearing if you think it is an improvement over your presentation.

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Originally Posted by Don Lacy

Hi Cheryl, Another wonderful image just love the interaction, I hope you do not think I am picking on you but this image still needs a little more work in PS to reach its full potential. Like the Spoonbill image it needs a black point adjustment and a S curve to increase contrast a bit. Here is what I did with the image and would be interested in hearing if you think it is an improvement over your presentation.

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It definately does have more PoP and no I don't think that you are picking on me I appreciate the help very much. Thank you. I actually felt it was a tad flat but didn't know how to add the contrast without blowing the whites. No Offence Don I do like your reposts but I feel they are a little too much and sometimes the image looks too processed to me( but I also wonder if it is my moniter calibration and maybe it is wayy off..) That's just my opinion but I still value yours and your reposts because they are helping me learn to see my images differently with respect to what they could be with a little work. Soooo with that being said, I would like to go somewhere in between yours and mine. I think I'm gonna calibrate tomorrow as well. I sincerely thank you for your time and help and hope you continue to pick on me :t3

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Originally Posted by Don Lacy

Hi Cheryl, Another wonderful image just love the interaction, I hope you do not think I am picking on you but this image still needs a little more work in PS to reach its full potential. Like the Spoonbill image it needs a black point adjustment and a S curve to increase contrast a bit. Here is what I did with the image and would be interested in hearing if you think it is an improvement over your presentation.

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By the way I actually really do like this repost the more I look at it. Thanks again Don.

Cheryl, I will continue to pick on you then:S3: you are a talented photographer with a good eye I just think your post processing lets your vision down. One more thing I do not know what kind of monitor you have but having a good one that covers as much of the RGB color space as possible is as important to digital photography as a tripod and L glass.

Don you did a good job reworking an already fine, action-packed capture by Cheryl. The repost looks sharper with more details. One thing I keep wondering is where did the left bird's other foot go? You mentioned that you covered up the foot with water but I keep wondering where it is, after I admire this exceptional moment captured, that is.

Fantastic action Cheryl. I just love the two perfect HAs with sharp heads, legs and wings all over the place.
Although the OP could use a bit of pop, I find the repost a bit too contrasty for my taste.

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Originally Posted by Don Lacy

Cheryl, I will continue to pick on you then:S3: you are a talented photographer with a good eye I just think your post processing lets your vision down. One more thing I do not know what kind of monitor you have but having a good one that covers as much of the RGB color space as possible is as important to digital photography as a tripod and L glass.

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GreatI look forward to more help. Don I have an LG Flatron w2241T Moniter I think it's good?

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Originally Posted by Marina Scarr

Don you did a good job reworking an already fine, action-packed capture by Cheryl. The repost looks sharper with more details. One thing I keep wondering is where did the left bird's other foot go? You mentioned that you covered up the foot with water but I keep wondering where it is, after I admire this exceptional moment captured, that is.

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Haa Marina I wondered that too. It must be hidden by the body. Here is the original before fixing the water. I have actually decided to work on this one a bit and leave the wave. I think it adds to the action.

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Don I have an LG Flatron w2241T Monitor I think it's good?

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From what i could find on the internet it is an OK monitor not really made for color accurate work.

Well till I can afford the MAC i'm stuck with it. I just have to work harder. Bye the way here is my final post. For some reason the file became HUGE and I don't know why. So I couldn't upload it .I am very pleased with the finishes image. I hope you agree. Here is the link: http://www.naturelifeimages.com/p750816735/e273572fe

Looks awesome at the larger size on your website.

Final post looks good, and I do like the inclusion of the wave. You did really well capturing that action. Wish I had joined you! :Whoa!:

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Originally Posted by Don Lacy

Looks awesome at the larger size on your website.

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Thanks Don lots of thanks to your help

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Originally Posted by Marina Scarr

Final post looks good, and I do like the inclusion of the wave. You did really well capturing that action. Wish I had joined you! :Whoa!:

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Thanks girl It was a really fun day and you were missed.