Topaz Bathing Sandpiper

Happy Thanksgiving, to all...lots of rare birds have been showing up this fall, haven't had much use or opportunity to use my camera, except for carrying it. Birds have been just to far away, for decent images. After golf today, I went in search of a rather tame Purple Sandpiper that has been feeding at a local beach for the past few days. I just sat the beach and waited for him to come by. It was late in the day, I managed to get this image while it was bathing. Head was fairly sharp, and body blurred.

Image slightly cropped, ran through Topas filters, then used new Fotosketcher 2.20 to paintify it.



I am a sucker for framing....:S3:

I think the painted look adds a lot to this. It makes a great background. That orange stroke on the inner edge of the frame was a nice touch.

Hi Paul, Happy Thanksgiving to you, also! The tone, blur and painterly effects give an old world/photo quality for me. Neat capture and I hope you have good luck with the rare birds that come your way. :S3:

Paul, Nice to see you around.:S3:Happy Thanksgiving to you. I can't wait to start seeing the Purple Sandpipers on the jetty this year. They are one of my favorites. You did a great job creating a painterly look. I like the soft peaceful feel to it.:S3:

Excellent painted effect Paul! It works well for the background and the sandpiper. The colors are nice also.

The sharp head allows the less than sharp body to work. Also, I like how the body seems to flow into the gorgeous water. Very nice. Your patience was rewarded.

Well done, Paul, I love the whole package as you presented it. To nit pick, I would have added a small catch light.

Hopefully you will be rewarded with more birds. We are noticing a shortage here in Bird Country this fall.

Best regards

Gus

Paul, this is a beautiful painting and a beautiful bird. I love the soft yellows in the water:S3:

Hi Paul, lovely capture and processing too!

Beautiful composition, Paul. Love the soft painting effect with the sharp head. Excellent processing!