Black Skimmer #3

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Sony A-700 Tamron 200-500mm Sony HVL-F56AM 420mm F6.3 1/1600sec ISO 200 0EV fill flash 3:30PM Brazoria NWR
What I been trying to do while photographing skimmers is create a simple image that contains three elements: the bird, the groove it leaves in the water, and the reflection. In this one I cropped the top and bottom so that the groove divides the the image in half, the upper part containing the bird, the bottom, the reflection. What do you think about the image? I know there are technical problems with the photography, and I would be interesting in hearing how I could improve it, as well as post-processing hints. ~onlybill

[Nonda Surratt]

Bill I like you concept and what you are wanting to do, don't stop!

The cropped wings and bird placement in the frame sort of bugs me

[Alfred Forns]

I like that you are trying a specific image Bill !!! That is the way to do it !!

Composition wise I'm fine with it jut add a little room in front of the bird. For images showing the trailing wake its fine to have much more space behind but still don't want the bird that close to the edge of the frame.

The fill flash had zero effect on this image, if you check the range and take into account you are in high speed sync the effective range was probably twenty feet or so. Exposure was not bad for the white areas but shadows are underexposed. Need softer light to make it work. You want to be able to see the eye with some detail and also in the reflection. Opening up in PS will just turn the dark areas to a strange looking mush.

[Desmond Chan]

Bill I like you concept and what you are wanting to do, don't stop!

The cropped wings and bird placement in the frame sort of bugs me

Pretty much what I feel about this photo.

[WIlliam Maroldo]

The crop is pretty awful. Believe me, the expanded crop really doesn't help much either. What really bothers me the most is the mud colored reflection. The use of too high a shutter speed with the flash didn't help. Just got the flash, I'm sure I will get better use of it as I learn it's proper operation. I took several hundred images of feeding skimmers in a little over a week, and perhaps 40 or so are in good focus and proper exposure. The fact that this was one of the few that fulfilled my basic idea, and the others, though better images, didn't, led me to include it and disregard the problems with the image. Thanks Nonda, Desmond. I appreciate your candor.

One more thing Al, thanks again for the cropping advice

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Great try Bill. I've been trying for three days to get a decent picture on one of these guys and still have not come up with one worth posting. Keep trying my friend.
Regards