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Sanderling's Glance
I had a good time capturing shore birds the past week and I will be working on the photos for the next few weeks. Since we have a post of a sanderling last week, I'll start with that one as well. I think sanderling is one of the most difficult shorebird to capture because they are small, they move really fast, and they are really shy. This is probably one of my favorite action shot of the bird. The sun was not exactly my friend but I tried my best to place it so that no strong shadow is cast on the body. Shot at 600mm, f/8.0, ISO 1000, 1/4000. Does the water line cutting through the bird bothers you? I think the soft background helps to reduce its prominence and I sure hope it cuts the bird at a "nicer" spot.
Not a lot of processing was involved: Brought down the exposure and highlights, brought out the shadow a tad, and boosted the white; and finally, adjusted the blacks. Burn some of the chest area a little to retain details. That's about it. Cropped 69% of the original for composition.
Last edited by Adhika Lie; 04-18-2016 at 09:17 AM.
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Very nice! Last time down that way I found these busy little guys run a lot faster than I can belly crawl.
Lovely sharpness and detail, with tonalities well handled. If it were mine, I'd crop about halfway to the top of the head and remove the white shell behind the leg. The panoramic crop would fit with the amount of motion expected from this little guy.
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That shell at the back! It takes someone else to notice the little things. Yeah, I will probably remove that, too. I have been debating about a widescreen 16:9 crop as well, Diane, so thanks for the affirmation. Does the harsh light bother you?
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The light doesn't bother me, as that is nature. Of course soft light has a magical quality, but you can't always stage these opportunities so I'm all for making the best of what you have, which I think you've done well here by a good sun angle and nice tonal processing.
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Last edited by Adhika Lie; 04-18-2016 at 09:07 PM.
Reason: Update with Glennie's crop suggestion
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Adhika, you have done well in such harsh light. Look at the foam glistening in the sun. Beautiful. He is certainly giving you "a look". Ah, that shell. It might be harder to get rid of than meets the eye? What about the little white spot between his legs? Do you think it needs a slight rotation?
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OMG! As if by magic. It appears! and so well done! Lovely Adhika! I'm being picky now. I think you have taken off just a tad too much on the bottom.
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Glennie, we must've been posting at the same time! Haha. Removing that shell is like 5 seconds work. I select the foot which is sharp and very distinct in tone and colors, invert the selection, and run my cloning tool. If the foot was out of focus (like if there is some "glow" to it), it will be a totally different story.
Let me think about the bottom part. Maybe a tad too much, eh? That foam on the right needs a tad more room to breathe, don't you think? On the rotation thing, I thought long about that one. If you measure it from the foot, it's straight. But then the slanting water line makes it a little weird. I think I need to compromise a bit here.
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OK. That's the way I would have tried to remove the shell. As you know, it's all subjective. Yep. I think the foam is beautiful and needs a bit of room.
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Great look from the bird, really hard to catch a good shot of these little runners! Nice job.
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Glennie, updated on Pane #5. What do you think?
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I do like it! What do you think?
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I agree on the foam needing more room. It actually gives the picture a sense of balance. Had it not been in the picture it doesn't give the impression of the bird pausing for a glance.
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BPN Member
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Hi Sandy! The rotation is a very tricky thing here. Every time I see the image, I see different rotation needed. Eventually I settle down by rotating it to what I see best.
Regarding the burn, I see in your post that it affects the bird slightly too (e.g. The feet). I think it makes the image more contrasty and thus, in my opinion, aggravates what is already a harsh light. But this is probably preference. I had a high key minimalistic image in mind when processing it. But I see where you are coming from, the blue background is gorgeous.
That said, I think the crop could work. I used negative space more deliberately to help with the minimal composition and also show the dynamics and movement of the bird. Tighter crop shows the bird's details.
I was not bothered with the speculars but this really makes the image clean! I love it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sandy!
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks
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BPN Member
Thanks Adhika! I see a halo around the legs/feet (and, yes, too contrasty) on the RP I posted. Not sure how that came about... but probably from a save, PP and repost. I only will burn about 1-3% and just selectively on highlights. I should have mentioned, that the only reason I did a "straighten" was that the BG was fairly bright and drew my eye there. But, WHEW, I'm glad you are ok with my "take"..... this is a super lovely image and wish it was mine! Thanks for putting up with me! I love ETL as we learn, share opinions/techniques, and the photos are fresh.
