I had just about every exposure nightmare possible with this...light was in and out every few moments, and we have a black and white bird that's only at a good angle as long as I drop the camera and paddle the kayak every 10 seconds or so. Should have just paid someone to be the motor in retrospect.
I brought the whites down as much as I could with levels and used a bit of detail extractor on the breast, plus contrast mask on the head. Is that a double catch light in the eye, or something else?
Hi Jake, agree with more room all around. Loons are difficult and the whites are a bit hot and the blacks on the body look too light/grey. Great to see the lovely green o the throat and I'd clean up the eye a bit. Very nice for paddling and kayaking and coordinating your capture!
Blacks on the head look so good and love to see those water droplets. The pose is nice and the BG is stunning. The loon is looking cramped to me as well.
"is that a double catch light, or something else?"
Hi Jake, it is something else, and that something else is a reflection of the sky, lakeshore and reflection off the lake! A picture within a picture, cool! ~MT
Agree with the suggestion for a looser comp.
I feel the blacks are a little washed out on the body. I would go to Selective Coloring in PS and select the blacks or neutrals and add 1 or 2 points of black to the blacks.
The whites on the breast look good to me.
Head looks great and the reflection in the eye is not a double catchlight but the reflection of sky I think,
Gail
You got the velvety texture of the head and neck very nicely. Nice and sharp there, where it counts. I agree with Gail that the blacks on the body look washed out, and I agree with the others that the subject is too big and tight in the frame. With birds near the eater surface you will often get a double catchlight - opinions are split whether to keep it or remove the extra one, really a matter of taste.
Thanks for your membership support. Posting is THE best way to learn. The image is sharp. Many images of birds taken in the water show two high highlights, one from the sun and one from the reflection of the sun off the surface of the water. That does not look to be the case here.
No crying allowed on the exposures. What you need to do is get one good exposure when the sun is out and remember it so that you can revert once the sun comes back out....
The bird is too big in the frame to be pleasing. Love ya.
a
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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.
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,