Wilson's Snipe through the Willows

[Matthew Studebaker]

Nome, Alaska | June | Canon 1D4 | Canon 600mm f4 IS | 1.4x, f8, 1/500, ISO 800
Another thanks to Mark for spotting this and Dan for helping with the shoot. This image was an attempt to manually focus through the undergrowth and visually isolate the bird.

[Corey Hayes]

Nice shot Matt

[Markus Jais]

Wonderful shot. The out of focus vegetation is fantastic. Great composition. One of the best snipe shots I've seen.

Markus

[vishaljadhav]

Any snipe shot is special , as they rarely give us good chance to photograph them
nice one with all those OOF things the snipe is in lovely focus, like the concept

[gail bisson]

Hi Matthew,
I am trying to like this but it is just too fuzzy and busy for my taste.
As I study this, I think it would work if you did not have the grasses crossing through the snipe, thus truly isolating the snipe. I would like to see a bit more of the legs as well.
The fanned tail is wonderful as are the muted colors.
Gail

[Andrew Merwin]

I like this shot a lot. The sharp focus on the snipe makes it stand out from it's surroundings & draws my eye to it. The OOF vegetation adds a lovely muted color to the image that blends well with the snipe's color. I really like the raised & spread tail. Well done. TFS.

[Grace Scalzo]

I find it painterly and lovely. I don't mind that some grass is in front of the bird, but wish it wasn't quite so bright. Well visualized, Matthew.

[Jim Crosswell]

Great image Matthew! I think this image emphasizes the elusive nature of the Snipe.