Light Reveals - Common loon and early morning light
This loon was imaged two years ago in northern Michigan. I light the directional lighting which showed the ribbing on the breast well, and of course that dramatic eye.
D700 500mm f/4 TC14 (700mm) f/8 1/640s Camera pedestal mounted in bottom of my little boat
Post: Selective sharpening, cleaned a few minor water spots, reduced some specular highlights on the bill, modest crop for comp.
Very dramatic lighting indeed. I wonder why you left the two highlights on the lower part of the bill, given that you removed some already. I am fine with your comp as presented but think a crop from the left to remove some of the empty space, and up from the bottom to balance would also be effective, even if unconventional.
Thanks for the comments. I did a bit of tweaking along the lines you suggested. Because of the subtle pattern in the loon's bill, it is very easy to mess it up when removing specular highlights, so I tend to go light on such work
Wow Randy, light sure does reveal. I love the details in the head feathers, along with the small water droplets. You did a great job of controlling the specular highlights on the bill, as it looks very natural.
I'm new to this, but you have two catchlights. I was under the impression that you usually cleaned up the lower (or smaller?) one. Not sure, but would like to know why you kept them both in this image. Thanks!
Thanks for the comments! I generally base my decision on the lower catchlight on how distracting it is. It is of course a natural thing, we just normally aren't aware of it when viewing the bird, but its there.
If the catchlight is large enough to distort the view of the iris, or cause apparent blurriness of the eye, I will remove it. In this case, The red is so powerful, that I didn't think it caused any issues, neither distracting or blur inducing.
Good question, with no perfect answer, as they always say "it depends"
I dig that rework because it centers the eye and makes the image so much more about the eye contact,
vs empty space for the loon to move into. Frankly either image rocks, and I love the dark moody feel.
Great Job on the re-post. Like the exposure and detail. Like the dark BG, it makes for a really cool mood. The water drops make for a beautiful look too. Well done
Beautiful image. I really like the light. And the textures and shapes in the feathers. Both crops work for me. Lovely dark greenish background works so well.
Hi Randy, You've captured some beautiful lighting on this Loon with the feather patterns nicely displayed. The red eye adds further impact. The subject is so well portrayed against that darker BG, though I do prefer your OP.
Light Reveals - Common loon and early morning light
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