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Thread: Purple Sandpiper

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    Default Purple Sandpiper

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    This is a shot I have been waiting a long time for. I can never get at eye level with Purple Sandpipers to get them with clean backgrounds and not have tons of rocks in the shot. I went to the beach in the evening hoping for a flyover kite which never happened. (Strong south west winds in April bring Kites to the north east) While there I noticed 2 Purple Sandpipers on the rocks of a jetty. I was lucky that this was not a huge and long jetty that stuck far out into the water. The problem was that they were at the end of the jetty and to get the sun at my back I would need to get into the ocean. Was not going to miss this chance so off went the shoes and socks and into the freezing cold New York City waters I went. Waited in knee + deep water for almost 2 hours for the birds to get used to me and for them to come on my side of the jetty. Time well spent but man was that water freezing cold . This photo was taken 30 minutes before sun set with perfect evening light on the bird.

    Canon 1DX and Canon 500 f4ii + 1.4x iii. Tripod mounted while bending over to get at eye level with the bird. F8, ISO 1000, SS 1/1250

    Processed with DPP 4.6 and PS.

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Worth it for me. Hope your legs have thawed out. Great light, and I love the poses that these acrobatic birds can give you. Nicely done.

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    Congrats on getting a shot you've been thinking about for a while! Bummer about the cold water, but looks like it was worth the effort! Love the colors and rich warm light. DOF is nice too here. TFS

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    Perseverance paid off, Isaac. Love the cliff hanging pose.

    Geoffrey




    http://500px.com/geoffreymontagu

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    Congratulations on the shot and the patience to wait for it. Always nice when a sacrifice pays off. Happy (and warmer) shooting!

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    Very well done getting this in the conditions you describe,did think the bird looked a little soft but under the conditions very well done.

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    Keith I do not see the bird as being soft at all. Not sure what you are seeing here as it looks very sharp on my screen. Keep in mind that the bird has thick and coarse feathers that have been beaten up by the winter of getting pounded on these jetties so maybe that is what you are seeing?

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    Isaac my eyes are not the best so if I have got it wrong please put it down to that ,but maybe looking at the feet which perhaps have some movement still do look a little soft to me,Isaac I think the fact that no one else as noticed anything lets put it down to these old eyes of mine.
    Keith.

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    The back foot is soft for sure. That is not from movement but from not having enough depth of field. Despite that the 1dx can easily go much higher on the ISO than I was I was battling with not blowing out the highlights on the birds and having enough depth of field and keeping the shutter speed fast enough to freeze the action. For some of the shots I stopped down to f9 but it was still not enough to get the whole bird fully sharp. When the birds were on this part of the rock they were quite close. Had I gone to say f11 then i would have had to up my ISO quite a bit to keep my shutter speed and exposure where I wanted it. That back foot was the price I paid.

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    Amazing the things we do for a great shot! Well done Issac! Love everything about this image.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Isaac, excellent IQ in this, and just love the overall light and detail on the Sandpiper. Overall, nice and sharp, and I like the angled pose on the moss covered rock. Well captured.

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    Wow this is stunning. Eye-level view and the angle creates tension in the frame. The details here are crystal clear and the background is very smooth. Into the water to get the shot - you are a GAMER Isaac. Thanks for sharing this.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Had I gone to say f11 then i would have had to up my ISO quite a bit to keep my shutter speed and exposure where I wanted it. That back foot was the price I paid.
    Issac you have a 1DX where is the issue in upping the ISO to ensure you have enough DoF & SS??? Forget about previous camera bodies and ISO range, this body delivers, have faith and push the ISO (within reason) to maintain better techs. also coupled with the right set-up in Cases you will be nailing the shots.


    Have a read of this, it might change you mind???

    http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...-at-51-200-Iso

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    I did read most of that thread last night and fully agree. Totally could have pushed the ISO more. I don't think I told the full story when I said the back foot was the price I paid. To compound the issue was that I thought I was good at that setting and could not tell on the back of the camera that I did not have enough DOF. Still getting used to the DOF on this camera and what is enough in situations like this. Also I wanted to make sure to not blow out the white areas of the bird and was again worried about pushing the ISO too much. Not as much for image quality but also for watching the highlights as well. Still a learning curve for me with this camera for sure. Really do wish that I got that back foot as this was by far the best opportunity I have had with this species. These birds had been feeding on a different rock which I was set for and they flew closer to me which is where I took this shot. Happened quickly as well and I did my best to take some shots hoping I was on but I was not. This was a complicated one for me as the birds position changed quickly, they feed quickly, I was standing in freezing water with a camera that I am still learning in certain situations. I know for the future now that I will need to get a greater DOF in these situations. I am going to post another shot or 2 from this shoot and welcome and appreciate all input. Great learning experience for me.
    Last edited by Isaac Grant; 04-26-2017 at 11:07 AM.

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