This was taken on St. Geroge Island Florida in Feb 2008. I was on my knees taking shots of this bird when it decided to fly past me down the coast. I followed it and this was the best of the shots that I took of the bird in flight.
Nikon D300 70-400 mm lens 1/1250 sec f8 iso 640
Welcome Earl! Very nice first post. I like the light, open bill and wing position. I would sharpen the bird a bit more and straighten the horizon. Keep them coming!
A couple simple things could make this image much stronger.
First, The horizon should be leveled. There are several ways to do it but I like to use the measure tool. If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me know and I'll try to find a link to it on here.
Second, you should always convert to sRGB before posting. Anyone not using Safari (the only color-managed browser that I know of) will see a version of your image that doesn't match what you see when you prep it in PS or any other program. Usually, it looks drab, washed out and just plain blah.
If you're using safari, try looking at this thread in firefox or some other browser to see the difference.
I did no color enhancement here, only leveled the horizon, converted to sRGB, and sharpened the head a little. Obviously, I had to fill in the edges from the rotation for the horizon, but I wasn't very careful about it.
Welcome aboard Earl! Jim's repost improves your photo alot. Did you have to bring up the shadows much? I ask because of the noise in the face. The open bill is a great bonus here :-) Another thing to consider would be adding canvas in front to give the bird room to fly into.
Welcome, Earl. A nice first post. I like the pose with the wings up and the open beak. Jim's repost is a notable improvement. The only thing I would add is that the composition would be stronger if there was more room on the right for the bird to fly into. It is too centered, as presented, IMO. Keep them coming.
Thanks for your comments. Do you convert to sRGB only on copies that will be viewed on a computer screen or monitor? How about those that will be printed?
Hey Earl, Welcome to BPN. Great to see you here. There is much to be learned. As above, nice image!
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
First Posting - American Oystercatcher
Reply With Quote
