I have no idea what this Dusky Moorhen was feeding its chick.
I was up to my shoulders in the Nepean River, near my home in western Sydney
on this day in near 40-degree (Celsius!!) heat. So it was nice to cool off.
Minimal adjustments applied during conversion, file is not cropped at all.
While the adult on the right is not ideally placed, I feel the chick/adult interaction is
strong enough. The little blue flowers were along the bank behind them and I was not able
to get a smooth BG due to the small distance from the nest. I know light is harsh, but them being
dark it's probably not that bad. Cloned a few specular highlights. Applied the blur tool a little to the BG.
Canon OLD D, 300/4L IS + 1.4x, ISO 800
Av mode, f/8, 1/1000th, HH, meter at zero.
Full frame file.
Awesome low angle, great parent/chick interaction. In an ideal world, the other adult's butt would be out of the frame but we can't control nature that well!! I photographed baby American coots this year and they are strikingly similar to this moorhen chick.
I think that this is the only image you have posted that I am not crazy about!
The adult butt on the right really draws my eye away from the chick and feeding behavior.
BG is cluttered and that also pulls the eye away.
Techs and IQ are excellent as always and I agree with you that black birds are much more forgiving in brighter/harsher light.
Gail
I was not able to get a smooth BG due to the small distance from the nest.
Hi Akos, main issue covered, background is what it is and as Geoff mention, as we rarely have control of that unless it's a set-up, plus as you said, distance also played it's part too. If you had the kit then, I might have chosen a longer lens and a tight focus, with the head & chick, emphasising more the interaction which in turn would reduce the busy background. As presented I would apply some NR to the water.
Great low angle and interaction, Akos. I have tried a version with a crop to reduce the impact of the second adult and some negative tonal contrast and desaturation on the BG to to try and focus more on the interaction between adult and chick.
Delicate morsel
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