I was thrilled to spend some time this past weekend at South Padre Island, TX. photographing some of the wildlife. This reddish egret put on quite a show for me. Unfortunately, my Nikon 500mm is the P model which has no autofocus, so I'm manually focusing as fast as I can. You can imagine there are a lot of misses. Anyway, I did manage to get several in focus. This was one of my favorites, but unfortunately, the right end wingtips were cut off. I added some canvas, and did a copy/paste/transform of the intact wingtip to try and make it passable. Not sure I did it very well, but figured it was worth a shot. As always, I appreciate any feedback, tips, or comments. Exif is: Nikon D7000/500mm 4/f - P @ 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 640. Shooting conditions: sunrise on a tripod/gimbal head at water level. Processed in LR 4 and CS5.
The wing tip work looks fantastic to me . I would however add some more canvas to the right side ,for breathing room . (Or a frame )
Love the shot ,and pose . I feel the red at the top (Sun rise ) and the reddish reflection at the bottom balance out very well .
looks like you had a fun day!
Top notch image you have here, would never have caught the tip replacement. Would do as Clyde suggested and add some RS canvas. Exposure/ post handled beautifully IMHO. Love the "dance" pose, high key simplicity and tonal shift. congratulations!
Thank you Clyde and Randall. I'm glad the wingtip replacement isn't too obvious. :) I did as suggested and added a bit of canvas to give it a bit more breathing room. I hope it was enough. While doing that, I did a slight curves adjustment on the bird. Not sure if it works better than the original or not. Here's the redo:
Jeannean- that's just wonderful, the curves brought out even more detail, especially on the face. Still a touch tight on the right and top, but not enough to bother with unless you plan on using it in a frame.
Hi jeannean- Lovely pose and great work with the wing tip. I love the low angle...it really helps one connect with the bird. You might try making the beak, and legs a bit blacker. Hope to see more of your work!
Great job Jeannean! The repost looks better in terms of composition. I love the dancing, open pose and the high-key look. Nice exposure, color, and detail. An excellent image. Your work with the wingtips is super!
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Thank you Kerry. I had a go again with one today, but he/she wasn't as spritely as the one here was. Gotta love watching them though. They are such characters!
Great comments above and a nice picture the bottom edge could use a bit of trim (small crop) otherwise - well done. Subject pose and overall composition are wonderful - thanks and keep em coming.
Dancing Reddish Egret
Anyway, I did manage to get several in focus. This was one of my favorites, but unfortunately, the right end wingtips were cut off. I added some canvas, and did a copy/paste/transform of the intact wingtip to try and make it passable. Not sure I did it very well, but figured it was worth a shot. As always, I appreciate any feedback, tips, or comments. Exif is: Nikon D7000/500mm 4/f - P @ 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 640. Shooting conditions: sunrise on a tripod/gimbal head at water level. Processed in LR 4 and CS5.
