Another slow shutter speed one, but this time of a juvie Semipalmated Sandpiper, and again lucky the sandpiper held its head steady (and wings too, for a too brief moment but caught "on film" here).
BTW, the infection in the elbow has all but disappeared.
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/125s., f/4, ISO 1600, natural light, handheld while lying prone on the ground, small crop for comp, darkened the pupil, lightened the iris, a few minor blemishes on the water surface cleaned up via patch tool and content aware. Burn tool used on the very brightest whites along the flanks to tone them down (8% exposure, 30% hardness brush).
Glade are feeling better Dan. This is such a sweet image, and you did well fir 1/125th. I like the sharpness and the soft light that surrounds the piper, lovely to view. well done.
Really like this one Daniel. Excellent and interesting pose. Very different from the normal shorebird portrait. I would clone out the dark area on the bottom left that is just above your name. Would probably take out the dark smudges to the right of the birds reflection as well. But that is just being super picky. It is great as is. And you must be abnormally strong. I do not know how you get sharp images hand held with the same rig as I have. Hats off to you on that.
P.S. The elbow pads are great. Used them today with great success.
Gail, you beat me to it: the soft light, angelic pose and soft shutter speed do indeed give this an ethereal feeling. A very different, and very pleasing, look at a common shorebird.