Shorebirds are probably my favorite birds and subjects. Not as sexy as the raptors but I love them. In the late summer, Jake Levin and I met up so I could show him around some of the New York City shorebirds spots. Luck was really not on our side at Jamaica Bay but our fortunes changed out on the barrier beach. This is the first and only time that I have ever been around a cooperative Black-bellied Plover. I chose this photo because of the golden rocks of the jetty that are in the background. It is a nice change from the typical beach or blue water shots. Photo taken shortly before sunset in perfect golden light.
Canon 1DX and Canon 50 f4 ii + 1.4x iii. ISO 1000, F7.1, SS 1/2500.
Hi Isaac, lovely low perspective, and I like the semi raised leg. Overall nice and sharp, and I like the colours and feather detail. Yes to the late light, and I also like the blues and browns of the BG. The bubbles in the lower part of the BG add interest, and if anything, maybe a very slight CCW rotation looking at the lines in the LRC. I would also maybe remove the slight second lower catchlight.
The wonderful light, pose and perspective all good. When I first looked at it, I noticed the background slants upward a sliver on the left, but of course, perhaps the jetty is angled a bit in relationship to the bird . When leveling, sometimes it is a compromise to visually balance the different parts of the environment, not just the subject.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I do not think that in this case it is best to do some counter clockwise rotation. The ground is level where the bird is and then the sand angles up. The area to the right of the bird is angled up as the beach was angled from where the waves crashed. The area to the left of the head is ever so slightly angled down. So no matter what I did, 2 of the 3 sides would not be level. In this case I chose to level the ground and the background horizon line was just not level so there really was nothing that could be done about that.
Last edited by Isaac Grant; 02-03-2018 at 08:16 PM.
It is a beautiful image. Perfect light and the more vibrant background colors compliment the natural colors of the Plover. I like the raised foot and the in focus bubbles. Agree that a bit more space below would add.
Last edited by John Whaley; 02-04-2018 at 02:35 PM.
Isaac - As these are one of my favorite birds so I may be a little biased, but here are my 2 cents: I love the detail in and around the eye, great pose, and I love that golden color from the rocks you pointed out in the BG. Also that golden late afternoon light really makes these birds pop. I may have gotten rid of the very few specular highlights I see in the water. If you are ever in Florida, I'd be happy to show you cooperative Black-bellied plovers.
Black-bellied Plover
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