Imaged last Feb in Tampa Bay with Capt. James. I was kneeling behind my tripod and this fellow just kept coming in closer and closer. This basically full frame with a bit added below, and a sliver off the right for comp. If time had allowed, would have slipped off the TC, but always a bit of a juggling act while kneeling in the salt water, trying not to move and spook the bird, with no place to set things down!
D300 500mm AFS with TC 1.4 f/7.1 1.2500s ISO 320
Post: Selective sharpening
I liked the eye contact and pattern and color on the legs.
I was trying to get a shot like that this morning near the observation tower at Ding Darling. I had no luck. Very few birds!
You however got a wonderful shot. I have no suggestions on how to improve it.
Bravo!
Hi Randy, lovely close up with lots to look at. Good HA, and I like the overall DOF. Exposure looks spot on, sharp, and just love the red eye. Your comp works well as is.
Hi Randy,
The exposure is perfect. The whites and pinks are lovely. Great POV as well and nice light over your shoulder.
I always feel like a hypocrite when I say I like to see "different" images and end up saying " no, I don't like it"...
I miss the end of the bird.
Being an armchair critic is sooo easy but I wish you had just focused on the head and neck as a vertical portrait. Perhaps you have one?!!
gail
Considering your circumstances, and I've been there myself, I like what you've done with this one. Agree that the eye contact is good and I like the raised foot. You picked a good crop for your image.
I really like the close and personal. I don't mind the crop but wonder if just a little more off the back end would work better? The detail and exposure are really nice.
I guess that's one advantage of using a zoom telephoto Randy, you can readily recompose! Never-the-less, this is a great close-up study of the spoonbill - even gave you a nice head turn as he passed. Very nice!
Very nice exposure and awesome detail. Love the bill pattern, red eye, dark pink on the shoulder and the raised foot. Great close comp too. Like this allot.
Nice light quality. Excellent details. I also like that you achieved some nice color in the
water, and the spoonie pops nicely against it. Regarding composition, this seems stuck
somewhere in between a full body portrait and a tighter head shot. I like the leg lift.
The bottom of the frame "feels" tight, and has surely not left enough room for the virtual
leg down.
I knew the crop would generate some discussion. The reason I didn't process it when taken was my concerns about making the crop work. The more I looked at it however, the more I thought it could work.
I didn't want to crop any closer from the left, because it would crowd the legs too much. I had more on the right originally, but didn't like the balance with the bird. I did add a small amount to the bottom already. Normally I would agree about cutting off the virtual legs, but for me, the one leg raised and running horizontal to the frame bottom tended to reduce the need for lots of virtual room below.
Once again, thanks everyone, nice to hear all the different opinions! (I still like it )
Spoonie Drive By
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