Concerned Parent - Junior just isn't eating well - Common Loon

[Randy Stout]

This common loon appears to be quite worried about how Junior is feeding! I think the slight droop in the gape gives that impression.

D4 600 f/6/3 1.4 TC ISO 400 Taken from my little boat

Post: Selective sharpening Slight detail extraction on breast The lean of bird makes it look unlevel, but going by the ripples, I think it is OK.

Advice and comments always appreciated.

Cheers

Randy

[gareth thomson]

Wow! Stellar image. Shooting angle, exposure, bg, details... well, on and on. But what I really like is the graphic nature of the patterns on the loon. There's something of interest everywhere in this image.

[Don Lacy]

Wonderful image Randy, Nice low angle perfect exposure.

[arash_hazeghi]

sweet low angle and details!

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Randy, I like the ' concerned' angled head, and the light has brought out the sheen on the head so well. What another great low angle from your boat. Comp works well, and I feel your rotation is fine too.

[Robert Holguin]

Superb image!!
I just love the super low angles you get on your loon images. Great head angle, nice light, and background.
Very well done.

[Karl Egressy]

Great portrait shot, Randy. Excellent lighting on the head, beutiful colours, perfect exposure.

[RakeshDhareshwar]

Brilliant one , Randy . Great angle , awesome sharpness . The blue cast on the back of the bird distracts a bit .

[Randy Stout]

Thanks everyone for the input, much appreciated.

Rakesh - I had thought about the blue cast on the body that you mentioned, and will try and do a revised version with the cast reduced.

Cheers

Randy

[Satish Ranadive]

Very very sweet image.Love it.

Regards,
Satish.

[mohammad reza shahab]

hi
Wow!Great portrait shot,Excellent lighting on the head, beutiful colours, perfect exposure.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Beautiful shot but I too found the blue cast a little disconcerting.

[Randy Stout]

I have reprocessed the loon with the blue tint on back removed. Let me know if you think this is an improvement!

Thanks for the observations and advice.

Cheers

Randy

[gail bisson]

Hi Randy,
The repost is beautiful.
I really like the pose and superb HA and sheen in the feathers.
You work wonders with the exposure on these birds,
Gail

[Jonathan Ashton]

Repost certainly looks better to me in regard to the feathers, the subtle colouration in the head and neck is absolutely magic, so I am assuming you made a mask before applying any desaturation/colour correction.
(But I cannot understand why there is so much blue in the surrounding water ripples - is this a reflection from the sky?)

[Randy Stout]

Jonathan:

Yes, the bright blue is from the sky. I did a mask of the back area only and then brushed in the decreased blue saturation to taste.

Didn't want to mess up the colors on the birds head and neck!

Thanks for your feedback.

Cheers

Randy