Singled Out at Bosque

[Arthur Morris]

This image was created on the recently concluded Canon Digital Learning Center Bosque Workshop that followed the IPT with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-1D X. It was a difficult situation as there were about 20,000 geese in the pool.... Avoiding other birds in the background was very difficult. This adult Ross's Goose floated momentarily into some relative clear, still blue water. It was just what I was looking for.

All comments welcome; don't be shy.

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[PhilCook]

Well done isolating this bird , I know how hard that can be when there are lots about, nice stain sheen to the water and being a stickler for fine detail I like the way the water meets the ducks body...one can almost see a meniscus on the water at that point. I think it fills the frame nicely, the whites do look a tad grey here and there and eye contact would be nice..but overall a sweet shot with a serene feel to it.

[Tim King]

Nicely exposed as usual. I love how the water shows that the bird is perfectly still. Nicely isolated. Fine job.

[Henry Domke]

I think Phil is right when he says that the whites look a tad grey. The histogram shows that. This is a white bird, so shouldn't the whites be white?
Here I've tweaked it a bit. Better or not?

[Don Nelson]

The grays provide form and substance of the feathers. Ever photgraph an egg in direct light? Sure its white, but it will taper off into grays as the light gets reflected at different angles. You'll see this in either color or B&W image.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice exposure Artie, whites in the original look good to me but they can go just a bit brighter too.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Artie, good low angle, and the whites look good to me too. Love the detail on the bill, together with the colour of the water. Isnt it irritating to select a single subject from the masses.

[Karl Egressy]

It is a very pleasing image, Artie. The Goose is perfectly angled towards the viewer. Exposure is right on.
Beauty composition. These guys look so pretty.

[David Salem]

Nice image with perfect exposure. A little head turn may have provided a catch light but beautiful none the less. TFS

[Shawn Zierman]

Such a beautiful goose. You did an excellent job isolating this one.
A suggestion would be to clone out or blend -(whatever), the reflected
bits of another bird in the upper left hand corner of the image, and maybe
that one above the bird's head towards the top of the frame. You could also
tone down the other whitish reflections a bit lower in the frame above the bird.
Shooting data?

[Arthur Morris]

Well done isolating this bird , I know how hard that can be when there are lots about, nice stain sheen to the water and being a stickler for fine detail I like the way the water meets the ducks body...one can almost see a meniscus on the water at that point. I think it fills the frame nicely, the whites do look a tad grey here and there and eye contact would be nice..but overall a sweet shot with a serene feel to it.

Thanks Phil. As for the WHITEs, there is some very bright white near the forward part of the folded wing. In addition, individual monitors, ambient light, and personal taste all allow for a great range of WHITEs.

ps: what do you mean by "eye contact" ?

[Arthur Morris]

I think Phil is right when he says that the whites look a tad grey. The histogram shows that. This is a white bird, so shouldn't the whites be white? Here I've tweaked it a bit. Better or not?

Thanks Henry. See my comments to Phil. To my eye, your tweak has left us with a good deal of WHITE without detail. As far as the histogram, luminosity histograms are less accurate than RGB histograms. Also, I like my RAW files to come out of the camera with no RGB values > 230 or 235 at most :)

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, good low angle, and the whites look good to me too. Love the detail on the bill, together with the colour of the water. Isn't it irritating to select a single subject from the masses.

Thanks Stuart (and Tim and Arash and Don). Arash, see my comments to Phil. Stu, I look at it as challenging:).

[Arthur Morris]

Nice image with perfect exposure. A little head turn may have provided a catch light but beautiful none the less. TFS

Thanks David (and Karl), I had one with a catchlight but the head was turned a bit too much towards me. I could have/should have (?) grabbed that eye.

[Frank Schauf]

Nice composition and excellent expsoure control and sharpness.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Very nice, Artie...very nice. that water seals the deal. I also liked the reflection. Excellent comp.