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Thread: Black Guillemot in winter plumage

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Default Black Guillemot in winter plumage

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    I was waiting for my yellowlegs and/or semipalmated plovers to appear when this guy swam in towards me. He was not in the least bit concerned by my presence and caught 3 crabs within 5 minutes. I have only ever seen these guys on cliffs faraway so was pretty excited to see one this close.
    Canon 1D MKIV
    F 500mm and 1.4X converter
    ISO 400
    F 7.1
    SS 1/800
    5:42PM
    On tripod, in the water with waders and scuba booties on ( good thing too when I saw what could be nibbling on my toes!)
    Cropped by 30%
    Usual PP, NR on BG, reduced magenta cast ( sand is reddish though), levels, DE at 10% on head and 5% on the rest of body

    Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
    Gail

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    Gail, what a nice opportunity. Good bird, good light, prey item, all come together nicely. I do wish he or she was angled a bit toward you.

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    Nice Shot,Gail.Your wait was worth it and best of all you captured him with mouthful of crabs.TFS

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Gail:

    Good to get a uncommon and unexpected visitor.

    Good shooting angle, like the crab, well exposed. Tail up is fun.

    To my eye the rump is a bit sharper than the face, although the crab appears a bit sharper than the face. Perhaps your focus point was closer to you than the face.

    Cheers

    Randy
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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Hi Randy,
    Thanks for your comments. Here is a screen shot of the RAW with AF point shown. I am not sure why you are seeing what you are seeing. Perhaps some motion due to wave action? Will rework it!
    Last edited by gail bisson; 09-09-2012 at 02:19 PM. Reason: added RAW

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Gail: Could be some water on the face from grabbing the crab, which can blur the details. I would still try and sharpen it a bit. I have this issue with the loons a lot.

    Cheers

    Randy
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    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
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    Hi Gail, very nice to have this unexpected opportunity, not too mention the crab in the bill. An angle a little more toward you would be nice, but I think this also works as is.

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    very cool low angle and the prey item adds a lot. the look back saves the body angle. I'd crop it tighter to show the details better.
    TFS
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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Gail, the little guy seems to be showing off his catch nicely to you, and I too like the raised tail. Good detail on the crab, and I like the visible droplets on the body. I would maybe take a bit off the top.

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    How exciting to get this close to one, Gail! Great prey capture, head angle, comp and exposure. Nice work.

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    Great image as is, I enjoy the use of space, though I can see
    Arash's point about a tighter crop working well too.
    The crab in the grasp really elevates the success of the shot.

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    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
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    Hi Gail, Cool shot. Looking back with the crab in its mouth makes this a keeper. Techs look good. I would tighten up the crop a bit. The IQ looks good enough and we will see the crab better. Great job..

    David

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    Excellent shot. Very nice low angle, I really like the over the shoulder pose, the crabs are huge bonus, and excellent details.
    Well done.

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