This shot was captured just as the sun was going down. Bird was very uncooperative most of the evening but right as the sun was setting it walked very close to me. Wish I got the feet showing but luck was not on my side. Taken at Breezy Point in Queens, New York.
Canon 7d2 and Canon 500 f4 ii + 1.4x iii. Tripod mounted on lowest setting while lying on the ground. ISO 640, f8, SS 1/1000.
Converted in DPP 4. Auto White Balance. Highlights set to -2. Exposure set +.17. Focus point starting at bottom edge or eye and going to shoulder. In PS I adjusted highlights, shadows, applied noise reduction to background and used a NIK tonal contrast, detail extractor and white neutralizer filter all set to 25% opacity. Did a little beach clean up as well. Cropped and resized.
Beautiful golden light smooth BG and sandy beach. I love the little sand wave where the bird stands. My only wish would be to see the feet...as you mentioned too, but it is still a very beautiful image. Well done, Isaac. Worth waiting until the sun goes down to capture the magic moments.
Last edited by Marina Scarr; 07-12-2016 at 02:32 PM.
This is a very pleasing portrait. You had super light with great details. Would have loved to see the tootsies but I do love the OOF of the sand down low. It adds a softness to the image.
Last edited by Marina Scarr; 07-12-2016 at 02:33 PM.
Lovely on all counts. As much as I might like to see the feet I love the way you incorporated the sand ridge into the image design. The light of course is sublime.
Where do you park to access the birds? Is there anything going on there now? Any terns this year?
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BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
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Thanks Arthur. I always really appreciate your critiques. There are loads of birds at Breezy. Well over 1,000 Common Terns, 20+ pairs of Least Terns, a few hundred Skimmers plus the usual plovers and Oystercatchers. I even had a Roseate there this year and my first ever Arctic Tern for New York City. The problem with most of the birds there are that they are on private land. The coop has their own security and are major pains in the butt. So there really is no access to the majority of the terns and Skimmers. There are Least Terns and plenty of plovers and Oystercatchers that are not in the private area. Parking is also a big problem. You need to pay $50 for a fishing permit and then walk about a mile out to the beach. Nickerson is far easier and better for most of these birds. I go to breezy often to go birding and do seawatches and then incorporate some photography when the light is right. When you are in town I would be happy to bring you there so you can check it out. We are facebook friends. You could instant message me if interested.
Awesome details, I especially like the pale feathers elongated on the wings. Perfect profile pose, great sand mound. I suppose seeing the feet would have added bonus points, but all looks pretty darn good here.
Many thanks Isaac. At age 70, those long walks are a real pain. That said, I may just take you up on your offer.
a
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
Piping Plover
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