Rare NC Visitor - American Avocet

[Cathy McEntee]

I noticed this Avocet this morning while approaching a sandbar by boat to photograph some terns and sandpipers. This is the first time I've seen one here except for a flock flying overhead last autumn.

Nikon D7000 Nikon 300 2.8 with 1.7 tc
ISO 500, 1/2500 f7.1 manual exp.

LR4 and CS5 for sharpening

C&C much appreciated!

[Ian Cassell]

Nice pose, Cathy, with the leg up. Good techs with nice catchlight. I'm not sure what the little white dot is at the image edge just below the feet, but it would be easy to evict. It is nice to see one in the blue water like this as they are usually in murky pond water out here.

[John Chardine]

Hi Cathy- I superbly elegant bird. There is an ethereal look about the bird which I am sure is a product of what you have done. One thing you should try is giving more room at the top- not sure if this is possible with your in-camera crop but if not you can always add canvas. The only other slight improvement would be for a head angle a little bit towards you- it's quite flat as is.

[Joel Eade]

Beautiful image Cathy, nice exposure and very sharp. I agree with John, if you add room at the top it will improve it. Also the color temp looks "cool" to me, I would experiment with increasing it to see what you think. Well done.

[gareth thomson]

Hi Cathy - Nice shot. I seldom see avocets with this color variation. Definitely elegant. Clean feet and everything... I would agree with Joel regarding the temp. Have you tried warming it up a bit? Also agree with John - perhaps a bit more room at the top.

[Cathy McEntee]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I did crop too much off the top and will definitely try warming it up a bit. I thought I finally had a picture I didn't have to clone out spots, but Ian found one for me

[Ian Cassell]

I wouldn't warm it up too much IMO. I see these guys a lot out here. This one is in winter or non-breeding plumage (vs. the chestnut brown at breeding time) and it looks pretty natural to me.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Cathy, I am tardy with this reply but I wanted to commend you on this capture and tell you that I like it a lot. I do agree with comments regarding the crop. I also agree with Ian in that the color temperature is already pretty accurate and I would not change it at all. Open up the frame and add a bit of sharpening are my only suggestions.