Black Oystercatcher

[Grant Yang]

Black Oystercatcher by kankushok, on Flickr

Black Oystercatcher, Asilomar State Beach, Pacific Grove, CA
400mm f5.6 1/2000 iso 200

This individual was quite cooperative. He was preening for quite some time, and I managed to get many shots of him. This one is my favorite. The original canvas extended to the end of his wingtips, so I had to clone in some additional space to his left.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Grant, I really like the pose you captured here and the exposure is quite nice. I like how the bird fills the space in the blue sky. I would likely evict the little white spot just behind the rump.

[Tom van den Brandt]

Beautiful Oystercatcher and a nice pose with the wings spread. I like the blue in the BG.

Cheers, Tom

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice wingflap pose, and I love how tit is perched at the very top of that rock. Well exposed for the blacks with lots of details. Good call and good job extending the canvas back there...perhaps just a bit of blue bleeding on to the second primary feather's tip. I would also add just a touch of reds to the overall white balance - I see a bit of a cyan-ish cast on the blacks (especially the face) that this would help with. I also agree with eliminating the floating debris that Kerry mentioned, plus a black spot near the right edge.