Some woodstorks have made their home in a lake that is a favorite of local fishermen; subsequently they have become reasonably used to people, as people frequently mean fish. I managed to get quite close to him, and he made a series of hops along the water line, which meant I could get some shots of his lovely plumage. (They are no pretty birds when standing still!). He was in the shade, with beams of sunlight coming from behind me, through the trees . PP in ACR and CS6.
Gillie, that is one cool looking bird! I think that if you had been a little lower, you would have uncovered the face a little more from the wing-edge and that would have made it stronger. Focus is good and I love the color of the water as well as the water drops behind the bird.
I really like this one, a push over for original composition. The foot prints in the water are fantastic,..and the camera position is different I like that. I do agree with Ian,.. more face would make it a stronger image, but really nice as is. Might be a hot spot on the back, you can always use 400 ISO and run up the shutter speed to ensure nothing clips.
You placed the subject well and the water provides a nice non-distracting background,..well done.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 09-13-2012 at 02:01 PM.
I an and Jeff, thank you. I agree that more of his head would have been better, but I was above him on the bank, and of the many pictures I took, this was the only one that had any head art all! They have such big wings. I know where to find them, so I shall have to try again.
Gillie- Like Jeff, I'm a huge fan of unusual composition, angle and lighting. I'm drawn to this one because it has all three elements. Even though it would've been nice to have just a bit more head in the image, I feel it works. One of the stronger elements (for me) is the spacial balance between light and dark going on through-out. Black and white, light and dark. Just look at those feet, one perfectly lit while the other is in perfect shadow. What are your thoughts for a tight, wing clipping horizontal, or even vertical approach to the crop? Doing so brings attention to the elements within the subject, 8.5x11 shown here-
Randall, my apologies for not answering sooner; I have been away, staying with a friend who has no internet access. Thank you for your remarks; I took many shots of this chap, and this one was the only one that worked; indeed many of them showed no head at all! I do like the crop, which really illustrates the bird well. He was hopping along the bank, and somehow I felt he needed room for the next landing. :) Gillie
Woodstork
