Tern #2

[Randall Farhy]

Another Tern from the Brigantine Wildlife Refuge in NJ. Conditions were generally overcast but late in the day the sun poked through here and there. The trick was to anticipate it and find a spot to use it to advantage. Late afternoon and the tide was out, exposing mud flats and bars which helped break up the watery background (also limiting the areas in which these birds could feed). Overall, I'm satisfied with how this one turned out though I do have mixed feelings about the degree of background blur.

Camera: 7D
Lens 400 F5.6L

Exposure: ISO 800 1/2500 @5.6, No Exp Comp. Handheld.

Processing: Lightroom4, Topaz Denoise5. PSE9 for Jpeg conversion/reduction sharpening (.3P @ 73%). All post work except NR was accomplished in LR4, including the white vignette. While the highlights might appear blown, they do not register as clipped.

Crop: 35%, 5x7 aspect ratio for balance.

One dust spot (sensor) was removed in the top left region.

Comments/critique welcome and appreciated.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Randall,

Part of photography is the emotional connection one feels when viewing an image. That being said, I really like this picture and I made a connection with the moment in nature. I love the subject pose and the background compliments the image and is well muted. This image is all about composition which is the most compelling part of any photograph. The composition is unique and I really like the look, feel of this picture and the soft colors are really sweet IMO - well done.

The exposure techs look alright but the left wing seem to contain hot pixels maybe an opportunity for a lower ISO or faster shutter. Were you shooting AV, a bit of exposure compensation could have helped as well.

[Ciaran Walsh]

Hi Randall, I like the pose you have captured here and the cropping seems good with the left wing pointing to the corner of the frame drawing the eye out along the wing nicely. The background blur seems fine to me but I'm not one for white vignette but thats just me.

[Randall Farhy]

Jeff: Thank you for the kind words, it's always rewarding when someone makes a connection with something I've created, I suppose that's true for most anyone involved in the Arts.

Regarding the highs- I was only going by readings from the LR4 tool on the worked TIFF file, which puzzled me because there most certainly is a lack of detail in the brighter areas of that wing. Also, the crop is approaching 50%, perhaps that's a factor as well. I normally shoot in manual mode as a habit, easier to anticipate the situation and adjust the settings. Guess I just didn't read the scene properly for this one. Will keep that suggestion in mind for next time!

Ciaran: Thanks for your thoughts. I was drawn to how that long wing counter-balances the rest of the Tern, seemed only natural to emphasize it. I'm not a heavy user of vignettes (though I do admire many works built around their use), my thoughts when going with the white were of a foggy or misty edged scene, breaking up a largely plain greyish background.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Randall,

Greetings. I particularly like the unusual angle of this tern image with the long extension of the rear wing and the fan appearance of the close wing. I suspect much of the detail of the near wing is lost to dof/motion blur as well as direct harsh light on that wing rather than exposure. If it were mine, I would drop the vignette in the bottom two corners to give a darker bottom to lighter top look. ymmv.

Thanks for posting...

Cheers,


-Michael-

[Bob Miller]

Randall....A Very nice image with sharp detail and great composition. The vignettes do not bother me and I believe the bg works well. Nice capture! Hope to see more of your work!