Black Skimmer juvenile in flight

[Bill Dix]

I know skimmers have been well represented here in the past few months, but here's another -- this one from Sandy Hook last month. C&C appreciated as always.

D7000, 500f4 + 1.4X, ISO 500, 1/2000s @ f/7.1 manual, gitzo and mongoose; 86% of full width.

[Marina Scarr]

It's nice to see that wing span and the waves in the BG. What doesn't work for me here is the catch light which doesn't look right to my eyes.

[Daniel Cadieux]

It's a nice image design and most of it looks good to me, but I wish the light angle would have been better as I prefer a fully lit face. Love the patterns of the plumage!

[Bill Dix]

It's nice to see that wing span and the waves in the BG. What doesn't work for me here is the catch light which doesn't look right to my eyes.

I think you caught me, Marina. I can't remember exactly what I did on this one, but I went back and looked at the RAW file. There is a small, slight bright area in the eye when I blow up the RAW image, but it's further forward and more diffuse than what shows here. I must have been careless in "enhancing" it. Good catch; I'll go back and fix it.

[Arthur Morris]

This one does look a bit funky on the IQ--not as crisp as the stuff you have been posting. The wave/bird merge does not add anything for me....

[David Salem]

Nice banking pose and cool feather pattern shown but ditto on the not as good as the stuff you have been posting lately. Light angle a bit off witch shadowed head.

[Dennis Zaebst]

Bill, unlike several others, I like the light here...but I am a fan of natural environmental surroundings, and I'm not afraid of shadows. This looks very good to me; sharp, good composition, and shows the environment very well. Well done.

Best regards,

Dennis
http://denniszaebst.photography.com

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all for your honest critique. I guess I was seduced by the way the bird composed himself in the almost-full frame (and truth be told, I actually like the juxtaposition of the bird and the surf, which gives him some context). Catchlight is a miss on my part, and the light is most definitely off-angle -- maybe a little more dodging could have helped?? I'm not sure why there would be a sense of poor IQ, with high SS and low noise. There's some pretty good detail in the RAW file, but maybe it lost something in translation.

[Dennis Zaebst]

Bill, this is a very FINE and beautiful photograph...very impressive. I think the IQ is fine, easily equivalent to many of the better photos I have seen on this site. Except for the tiny detail about the eye catch light (which I didn't even notice till someone pointed it out), I don't see anything wrong. I like the wave in the background, and as you say, it shows the bird in its natural context. I realize of course that what the others are saying is that it distracts the eye a bit from the subject. As far as the angle of the light, for me this is a non-issue. I still say very well done! I would be delighted to have this one in my portfolio. My two cents worth. (And this is what I think - full stop).

Best regards,
Dennis

[Bill Dix]

Thanks a bunch, Dennis.

[Robert Holguin]

Great shot Bill.
I really love the banking pose, exposed very well, and nice comp.
As for the IQ, I think it looks good. I think the catch light is what is throwing this image off, but I still think it's a terrific shot.
Well done.

[Bill Dix]

Thanks Robert. I finally got a chance to get back into this one. I can't change the light angle, but I did a bit of dodging and some other slight tweaking, and maybe this looks a little better. For what it's worth, the catchlight in the OP is in the right place and the right size -- I just brightened it too much. Here I've dulled it down almost to oblivion. Thanks for looking.