Black Skimmer -- Backlit, Braking to Land

[Arthur Morris]

This image was created on the morning of Friday, August 17, 2018 at Nickerson Beach. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 800. Matrix metering -2/3 stop off the grasses: 1/1250 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 7:46am just as the sun was breaking through the very light clouds on the eastern horizon.

Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. Though the upper point in the array was on the base of the bird’s tail as originally framed, the image is sharp on the eye. This image was cropped a bit from the left and from below. Sharp D850 images stand up well to even larger crops. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +1. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.

It is always satisfying when you analyze a situation, visualize the best possible image, and then create it. As the sun broke through the haze, I said to repeat client Jim Dolgin, “With the breeze from the southwest, the money shot will be the incoming skimmers braking to land while backlit by the rising sun."

Learn more about this image in the It's Always Satisfying When ... blog post here.

As for the image, don't be shy; all comments are welcome.

with love, artie

[annmpacheco]

This is another winner Artie, big "wow" factor here, lots to like. I like the framing, the light that accents the wing tips, the water drops, and the bottom of the wings. Those specular highlights and the bend of the grasses really add interest. Colors are muted and sweet! Wish I was there!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Hey Artie, this looks great. I love the see-through feathers and the way some of them are frayed from wear-and-tear. The grasses add a ton of interest, as do the reflecting dew drops (?). I'm wondering if going even warmer on the WB would be beneficial. I really gotta get mu butt over there one of these days. I'll try to make it over next year!!

[Dorian Anderson]

A well conceived and executed shot, Artie. The OOF water drops yield a nice effect in the background. Agree with the warming suggestion/experiment and would be curious to see the result.

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Artie,
Love the frame - makes me want to try more backlit shooting. Great idea very well executed.
Allen

[Jonathan Ashton]

Nice shot well envisaged. If you knew this was a likely style shot did you get more at smaller apertures and faster shutter speeds?

[Arthur Morris]

Nice shot well envisaged. If you knew this was a likely style shot did you get more at smaller apertures and faster shutter speeds?

No. I would have had to raise the ISO and a smaller aperture would have increased background detail and that is not what I wanted. Are you thinking that the bird needed more d-o-f?

with love, artie

[Jonathan Ashton]

Yes Artie, A little more DOF would have been good but I agree it makes for more dominant subject with a muted background. Did you use Nik filter on the bird?

[Arthur Morris]

Did you use Nik filter on the bird?

Yes, and I messed up the selection badly as someone on the blog pointed out. I need to re-do the mage with more care.

with love, artie

[Jonathan Ashton]

Artie if you do revisit I would love to see a version without Nik, jut using curves to modify H/S.......maybe a tiny amount of clarity