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Thread: A shorebird (!)

  1. #1
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    Default A shorebird (!)

    It's been a while since I had anything to post, and in fact it's been a while since I had a chance to get out and photograph. This one was actually taken by some luck. We were driving to visit my girlfriend's father and we were 1 hour ahead of schedule. There was a spot nearby that I was told would be a good spot to start spotting shorebirds. So we stopped. 1 hour is better than nothing at all.

    The site was actually not that productive but suddenly this little fella landed not too far. And unlike any other shorebird I ever encountered, this one was not flying off when I got within 20 meters. So I got down, started to crawl on the muddy ground, and managed to get 5.46m away from the subject when I took this frame. (How Dan Cadieux manages to shoot these at 330mm is alien science to me). Not the perfect foreground/background, but I still like the image.

    Then I got back to my girlfriend (she was spotting other birds with the telescope) and she wisely pointed out that I did not have any spare clothes.............

    Anyway, the bird. A wild guess would be "juvenile least sandpiper", but really identifying those is also alien science to me. Book orders are already on their way.

    Canon 60D, 100-400 @ 400mm, f/5.6, ISO 400, 1/1250. No flash, no tripod. Crop is about 52% of the original (I need a 600mm....). Contrast adjustments and crop in LR, NR and sharpening in CS5.

    Comments welcome and appreciated as usual.


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    Very nice, P-A. I believe your ID is correct. I think this is a Least. I think your techs are good (looking on my crummy monitor at work). Whites are preserved and bird is nice and sharp with good focus. My inclination would be to crop off a bit of the FG blur and possibly clone out that bit of dark debris on viewer's right. I guess you're going to need to start carrying spare clothing in your camera bag :)

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    Well worth the dirty clothes. The bird is sharp and I like all of the green in the background and foreground. I would crop a little off of the bottom and add to the top. If you are willing to spend time laying on the ground and waiting you should be able to get these guys to come to you and get closer shots without the 600.

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    Interesting technique; unfortunately were I to attempt crawling across the beach I would not be able to get up again! Your efforts certainly paid off, as this little bird is very sharp and really stands out well against the seaweed. I have a lot of trouble getting them to stand out against the sand, which is where I see them here.

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    Hi P.-A., Least Sandpiper it is. Note the yellowish legs. You probably remember how tiny the bird was. This is really nice. Great light, low angle, great BG. Another crop would be tighter, removing the dark lump at the right.

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    Way to go P-A!!! That's the way to do it! Great low angle, perfect head angle. Only that object at left edge deters a bit, but I'd be happy with this, especially with those nice greens. It only took me one time to learn the lesson of not bringing a change of clothes, even if I don't plan on getting messy.

    You will be happy to hear that just this morning I was able to belly crawl to within minimum focussing distance of a Black-bellied Plover...full-frame head-and-shoulder portraits

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    Thanks all for comments and ID confirmation. Will eventually try a repost with suggestions.


    Daniel: Happy indeed. However the correct word would be more in the likes of "baffled"

    1.8m away from a bb plover is a scary thought... I think the closest I ever managed to get so far was more like.... 18m?

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    Hi P.A.....vey nice shot indeed! The low angle worked very well for you > I would crop just a bit from the bottom and clone out the dark spot to the left of the bird and the large piece of debris to the bottomright.

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    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Good job P-A., you are really getting into the thick of it and crawling like a serpent is a valuable bird photography skill to foster! Excellent exposure and color balance, sharpening is on the edge but acceptable for my eye. Well done! When are you coming back to see me?
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

    Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com


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    Sharpening is on the edge of "too much" or "not enough"?

    Me going back to California? Not soon enough... No job-related trip on the radar for quite a while due to budget cuts. However I think I managed to trigger some interest from the girlfriend so who knows, we might plan something in the future for our vacations.

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    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    P-A., I was thinking it was on the edge, as in almost too much edge. Sharpening works by increasing the contrast of edges that are already contrasty, if you know what I mean... If you look closely at the eye ring you will see some sharpening artifact that is caused by increasing the difference between adjacent pixels.
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

    Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com


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