Captured this cutie on the Hudson River Waterfront this past Saturday in an inlet with lots of tall grasses for it to dart in and out of. They sure did take advantage which made it quite a challenge. C&C welcome.
D700, Nikon 500mm + 1.4x tc, 1/640, f 5.6, ISO 1600, HH, Gitzo tripod, Wimberley Gimbal head.
I have never seen a king rail or a king rail chick so it is a treat to see this.
Nice and sharp and I like the clear water in the FG that shows the underwater debris.
Love the walking pose with the raised leg. Shows the viewer the environment they live in very well.
I would work on the cloned reeds a bit more by removing them entirely. The reed you cloned above the head and tail seems to start in the middle of the air so I would clone back till they are gone.
Gail
Great job getting this guy under difficult circumstances. He was darting, light was dim, and you were shooting over a very high guardrail. This is nice and sharp, with a wonderful pose, good HA, great habitat, and that foot is just amazing. The light in the marshy shadows was very cool, giving this a distinct bluish cast. You might try an adjustment layer with the orange filter (experiment with opacity) and see if you like the result, using the white patch on his throat just behind the bill as a guide to white balance. Incidentally, the official word from NJ Audubon a few minutes ago was that this chick should be called a King/Clapper hybrid. We observed what appeared to be some mating activity between the King female and a Clapper male.
Thanks Gail, Bill, and Mike for comments and suggestions. I addressed some of the reed issues and added some warmth in repost. Though I like the coolness we saw, warming it up looks good too.
King Rail chick
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