Taken at a swamp in Fort Myers, FL last spring. This was one of the few I got of the stilts catching prey. I believe this is a female as, while the backs of the males are a solid black, the female has a brown tone on the back.
Cropped, sharpened, NR.
Thanks in advance for all comments and critiques.
Last edited by Melissa Groo; 03-12-2013 at 02:57 PM.
Stunning shot Melissa. I love the diagonal comp. Don't think I've ever seen a shot of a Stilt with prey. And I like the reflection of the bill, and the painterly bg. And the color on the wings and back. Wish the lighter area on the bg weren't there, but not worth changing.
Gorgeous image, Melissa! Excellent techs, beautiful water and BG and the pose, water drips and prey put it over the top!
For my personal taste, I would like to see a slightly looser comp (with more of that lovely BG!) with the bird less centered ... I think a 4x6 aspect ratio would work well for this.
This is my favorite of all your stilt shots so far.
Love the IQ and the diagonal line created by the body.
Exposure is perfect and that yummy BG is to die for.
Well done!
gail
Greta action shot, Milissa. I like the details in white and dark area, the water trail and the fish in the beak. It looks like you had great soft light.
Hi Melissa. Love the pose - the food item in the beak and the water drops make this one special. Also, excellent sharpness and good detail in both blacks and white. Excellent work overall!
A dainty meal for a dainty bird, lovely exposure and timing, I like his clear eye and the angle of his/her legs..nicely composed as is, but maybe a little more space on the right
Lovely image. The parts of the reflection that you have included really round out the composition.
The water droplets and ripples are far more striking than the tiny prey, though it's clear that the stilt
has latched onto something there...minnow? The bird itself looks gorgeous.
This is awesome Melissa! Great clarity on the subject...details and colours look superb. Prey item is neat but especially more so is the water action...both off the bill and the rear foot. I could see more space at right and I'd darken the paler milky area of the BG at top right. Excellent job all around!
Excellent repost Melissa. Now that I look at both versions again I see some cloning evidence at lower right...not major but still would be good to clean them up...
Composition and content A1+ not seen that brown on back before, making this a female, and making that perfect exposure even better. Bit of a wobble at the right hand side.
Black-Necked Stilt Makes a Catch
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