Last weekend while driving on some country road we lucked out with this Wilson's Snipe frozen atop this old weathered stump. We almost drove right by before realizing what we had here. It stayed long enough for about a dozen photos...each one looking as identical as the previous:p Had time for one vertical before it bolted, but I preferred this one. Cloned out a couple of excess branches and some of the worst whitewash...must be a favorite perch. I normally would have cropped from the left, but I did not want to lose part of that branch as it frames nicely with the one at right.
Canon 40D + 100-400L @400mm, 1/200s., f/7.1, ISO500, -0.3 EC, fill @ -0.7 FEC, handheld from car (lucky me I was passenger and the bird was on passenger's side...thanks for driving Wayne!!;))
I like it, Daniel. Sharp bird with a good head angle and nice use of fill flash. This would also work if you cloned all the stems, but it is fine as presented.
Nice work getting a shy bird like this and with such a good BG and eye contact. Though the stems don't bother me - nice framing - cloning them out would give you that "ideal" standard of OOF BG, clean perch and no other elements.
Hey Daniel, really well done. Your subject looks great and all the tech stuff is dead on. I'd loose the forward branch, it makes your subject feel cramped IMO.
Wonderful perch and look-up. You stopped the car in perfect position!
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Wilson's Snipe
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