Semipalmated Plover on Ice

[gail bisson]

Another Alaska shot ( with Matthew Studebaker) and one of my favorites.
1DX, 600mm and 1.4x ISO 400
f 8.0 SS 1/1250
Cropped to panorama, NR to BG, levels, decreased the blacks in the BG ise ( to make it whiter), DE at 3% to plover and USM to JPEG. Cloned out a small spot of debris in the water on the LHS
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Richard Flack]

Beautiful image Gail! Awesome environment shot! Really like the icicles and the crystal clear water. Can see why it is one of your favourites...

[Daniel Cadieux]

I an see why this would be a favorite of yours from that trip. Very nice composition, and the plover standing at the edge of the ice "cliff" really made for a unique opportunity. The water underneath looks good too. I could even go for about a third less empty space above as an option.

[keith mitchell]

Gail never seen this bird in conditions like this, certainly different, this type of image is right up my street, would not change a thing on this beautiful image.

Keith.

[Bill Dix]

Love it. His own personal glacier. The color of the bird stands out in the arctic landscape. Comp works nicely for me just as posted.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Very unique image Gail, I have seen them at the beach/coast but never on ice. Nice image in all respects.

[Ian Wilson]

Superb work all round Gail. Great imagery. Regards, Ian.

[Shawn Zierman]

So good my eyes hurt :) Wonderful composition, small subject in the frame, yet still dominant in the composition...not easy to do this well. Lighting, exposure work, details, shooting angle...all superb. Having the bird's left foot visible up on the ice instead of covered by it, would make the image even better!...imo of course.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, you managed a great angled pose here, and the colours on the plover stand out nicely against the ice BG. I like the placement of the plover too. We dont normally see these guys against the setting you captured here, so an opportunity well used.

[Marina Scarr]

This is such a unique image, Gail. It's difficult for me to wrap my head around seeing this species on snow! I just tried a slightly different crop which I feel is a little stronger which is a crop from the right to the first cut and a tad off of the top. Terrific job on this precious capture.

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent pose and details that shows the delicacy of this little fellow. The ice is really cool, just like icing on the cake. I would only crop this one tighter to eliminate the water

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Gail - I too can see why this is one of your favorites. An unusual capture, done well.

TFS,
Rachel

[Binu John]

What a beautiful shot! Love the composition, light, details and exposure! Very very nice!

[David Salem]

I too like this one. This little bird stands out so nicely against all that white. I would keep the water for sure. The techs look great and I like the comp you chose. Very nice Gail.

[Aidan Briggs]

This one is awesome Marina! Absolutely keep the water, it's crucial to the comp. Clarity and color scheme are prefect. I could see a small crop from the top working well.

A visually interesting shot, well done!

[Matthew Studebaker]

Excellent! I love how the orange legs pop against the otherwise rather colorless scene. The ice edge is beautiful and you included just the right amount of reflection and ice.