Piping Plover

[Michael Moore]

Canon 7DII
Canon 100-400 MkII
ISO 400
1/1600
F/8
"Eye Doctor" work including adding catchlight, which was strangely hard to capture with these birds

Michael Moore
Newark, DE

[gail bisson]

Welcome to BPN Michael!
I agree 100% that it is hard to get a catch light in the eye in piping plovers. Much easier when the sun is lower in the sky.
The light is quite harsh but you have exposed the image well and your homemade catchlight looks great.
The sand ripples add some nice lines.
I would crop from the bottom to the third ridge. I would also clean up the white blob above the bird or crop down from the top if the IQ can handle it.
The image would be stronger if the plover was standing on top of one of those ridges so that the viewer could see the feet.
I really like the shadow of the beak n the sand!
gail

[Michael Moore]

I recognized the hidden feet problem, but all my shots are like that. They only stop in the depressions!

I really struggled with the crop. I wonder if the bird should be further left. Unfortunately, it is already cropped in about as much as I think it will take, so I can only move the bird around, not crop closer. I used to take a lot of tightly cropped portraits but I am trying to include more context in my photos now. The ripples in the sand I thought really added to the photo, but I was not sure about the best composition.

I am glad the catch light looks OK. I tried to use the angle of the shadow to place it where it should have been. They must have dull corneas.

Thanks so much for your input. It really helped me see the photo better.

[Robert Kimbrell]

Welcome Michael, your exposure and feather detail looks very good. Good job on the catchlight. The ripples in the sand add interest. I would also crop a little from the bottom, Might need get him walking to capture the feet.

[Michael Moore]

Settled on this as the final crop. I think it was improved by the suggestions. Thank you. Just wish the feet were not hidden, but no way to fix that now.

Mike