Pink and Black

[gail bisson]

I took this image this past April with James Shadle aboard the Hooptie Deux. So nice to see him back aboard the Hooptie Deux.
This spoonbill took off in front of a dark, shadowed area. It really was that black. I did clone out a very small spot of green vegetation along the top of the frame.
Canon 1DX
600mm and 1.4x
SS1/2000 f 8.0 ISO 800
In the water with tripod and waders.
PP: Crop to about 75% FF, cloned out the above mentioned patch, added a sliver of canvas on LHS, DE to bird at 4 % and to the feet at 25% to separate them from the black BG, USM to JPEG.
I did not apply any NR to BG as it is black
Comments and critiques always appreciated with thanks,
Gail

[John Robinson]

Hi Gail
A good example of how black backdrops can work ! Love the shape of the wings. Great exposure on the whites. Wish we had some exotic stuff over here.
Great work
John
Sorry
Just noticed the water droplets !!

[Joe Galkowski]

Wow! What a stunning, graphic, image. Great photograph. I even love the water droplets catching the light behind the spoonbill. I might experiment with cropping in a bit more. I don't know, it is probably just me, but I always like a little less space above birds in flight, even ones just taking off. Might be worth trying. To make it work you might need to extend the canvas downward somewhat, but with the black BG, that is easy.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Dramatic lighting, excellent pose and sharpness. Like the slightly open bill and the slight head tilt. Love the trailing droplets. I could see a bit cropped from the top, but that's always comes down to personal preference.
If you twisted my arm for a crit, I'd say the bird angled slightly more our way is about the only thing that could improve this one. I would love to have an image like this. Lovely work Gail.

[Greg Payne]

Wonderful in every way. I know you had a great time on the boat. Love the droplets as the final touch.

[christopher galeski]

Beautiful image,love the dark BG,nice flight pose,sharp with good detail,like the trailing water drops.well done.

[David Salem]

Nice one Gail. I was hoping to get out on a boat or even better yet with James but he was just getting out of the hospital the week we got there. Glad you got to get out there and get this unique and beautiful shot.
The pink against the black looks great. I might try lightening up the feet a little unless they get too noisy. I agree with taking a fair amount off the top. Nice capture.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice and dramatic, I like the dark BG and the trailing water drops

Glad to hear James is doing well

[Ian Wilson]

A lot of well deserved superlatives have already been written about this one Gail. It's beautiful work. TFS.

[Joseph Przybyla]

What more can I write than has already been written. Nice work, another from a wonderful trip to the land of sunshine and beaches.

[Bill Dix]

Stunning. Great job to get the exposure right on this beauty. Ditto David's suggestion about brightening the feet just a tiny bit. Otherwise, perfection in my book.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, the light cast on the pinks of the wings really make the spoonie pop against the darker BG, and great that the head and neck are peering through the front of the wings. Droplets add so much more too.

[Binu John]

Dramatic shot and light, Gail! The feather details are amazing! Love that water droplets and the pose! Great work!