Black Necked Stilt banking

[Sidharth Kodikal]

1D4, 700mm
1/2500, f7.1, iso 800, manual, hand held

I wish the upper wing wasn't slightly folded. I hardly ever get to photograph a stilt, so I'll take what I get.

All comments appreciated.
Thanks

PS: On my monitor the BG is showing some artifacts after compression which aren't there in the original. Not sure how to avoid that. Would appreciate any tips on that.

[Sachin Saraf]

I will take this any Day Sidharth...Excellent IQ, BG and sharpness..Really liked it

[Mike Milicia]

Nice light with great BG and excellent detail!
I share your wish regarding the upper wing but a lovely image nonetheless.

[Frank Schauf]

Really nice flight shot and great details.

[christopher galeski]

very nice image,good detail,like the BG,good pose.thanks.

[gail bisson]

Hi Sidarth,
I am not even sure that I see any JPEG artifacts and I can't help you with fixing it.
I really like the BG. Good IQ and sharp. Agree about folded wing but still lovely,
Gail

[Melissa Groo]

Great job, Sidharth. Really sharp, nice light, details in your whites, and great background.

[Wynand van Wyk]

Amazing in flight image! Love the light and detail! Exposure is spot on and great background too!

Very well done.

[Marina Scarr]

Spot on exposure with a lovely BG and nice composition.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Thanks all. Appreciate the comments.

Hi Sidarth,
I am not even sure that I see any JPEG artifacts and I can't help you with fixing it.
I really like the BG. Good IQ and sharp. Agree about folded wing but still lovely,
Gail

Thanks Gail, it must be my sub-optimal monitor. I often see banding in darker uneven backgrounds.
I really should invest in a good monitor.

[Rachel Hollander]

Very nice flight shot. Sharp, good exp. and detail and nice light with pleasing bg.

TFS,
Rachel

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Sid, excellent exposure, tack sharp, and glad you got separation between the head and far wing. Gotta love those natural OOF BG's.

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent Sidharth, love the light and banking pose. This is not an easy shot! There isn't much to do about JPEG compression in BGs like this...sometimes another round of NR helps. (make sure you convert to sRGB)

[Daniel Cadieux]

I see your point about the folded wing, but I still love the image. Awesome light and BG (I do not see any artefacts either). One toe is missing a claw, easy to "add" one if you wish (clone one in from another toe) :-)

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the details, exposure and BG. Well done Sidharth!

[dankearl]

Sidharth, I don't see artifacts, I just think another round of NR for web presentation would look nice.
i am sure the original looks great. Nice light, very sharp, excellent work!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Thanks all for the comments.

Arash, Dan K. thanks for the tip. I'll try NR on the bg.

Dan, yes, this guy was indeed missing a claw/toe and was hobbling around before taking flight.
Fortunately I did get his partner in flight with all claws intact (I might post later)

[Robert Holguin]

Wonderful shot. Exposed very well, very nice background, great light, and great comp.
Well done.