Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

[Paul Burdett]

Hi all,
First off I hope everyone had a great Xmas and looking forward to a safe, happy and healthy 2019. I had a bit of a mishap a few days before Xmas...I ruptured my distal bicep tendon! After a consult with the surgeon it was decided not to have surgery, due to a number of factors, including my age (65) and not in my dominant arm. I'm basically almost pain free, but know that I'll lose some strength in my arm. I am still able to play my classical guitar (my occupation for many years), hold the camera/lens combo fine and looking forward to getting back into playing squash and light weight training.
Meanwhile a trip to a nearby wader roost gave the opportunity to photograph Sandpipers. Here's one of the better photos.
7D Mkii, 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/2000thsec, f5.6, iso400 in AV mode, hand-held. Some basic pp in ACR and Photoshop CC. Cheers.

[David Salem]

My good buddy did the same thing to his arm years ago without surgery and he is fine. He has kind of funky looking bicep but gets along just fine so Im sure you will be good to go soon enough.
This image has a few flaws.
Fist off the image was shot late in the morning and the light is quite harsh and cool.
Second of all it isn't real sharp as presented. I would try more sharpening.
Not sure if the RAW was real sharp but I am thinking not. Is this the old 100-400 or the MkII? If it's the old one, get rid of it! I have one I will give you for free. It was what was holding me back when I first got back into DSLR photography. Inconsistent and usually slightly OOF. Ruined my trip to Egypt, at least for the birds I shot.
The third thing is the image needs counter clock wise rotation. Do you see the rings of the splash leaning to the right? An easy fix and something you don't realize sometimes until someone brings it to your attention. The last thing is the specular highlights in the sandy BG. They draw your eye away from the subject a bit. A little cloning over the top of them will take care of those real quick. Not trying to bash your image, just trying to guide you in the right direction for your next outing. P.S. Early mornings and late afternoons are for photography, the rest of the day is for post processing and family.
Keep hitting it hard, just not with your left arm

[Colin Driscoll]

Great constructive critique David, it helps us all learn.

[annmpacheco]

Hi Paul, ouchee, feel better. Dave has done all of the heavy lifting here and so I agree with every bit of it... TFS

[gail bisson]

I hate it when Dave comments first because he usually always says what I say!
So ditto what Dave said!
I hope your bicep mends quickly! Growing old is not for sissies!!
Gail

[Paul Burdett]

Hi David, Gail.Ann & Colin.
David:
Thanks so much for the info and critique. Actually the image was shot in the afternoon around 4.30pm...but I was not able to stay longer where the light is so much better (been there before at a later time in the day). It's our summer here...so the best light is around 5am or 5pm. I have the new 100-400 but the birds were not always still...I used AI servo but yes, the raw image is not as sharp as I'd like...I did use some sharpening at the raw stage and a little sharpening afterwards. Yes, I agree regarding the rotation and specular highlights...now that you point them out. I'm going back in the next few days...there's hundreds of Sandpipers there. I do have other shots so may post soon...keeping in mind your suggestions. Cheers!

[John Mack]

Hope you have a speedy recovery.

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks John...me too.

[Arthur Morris]

Great decision on no surgery. I tore my supraspinatus last spring, made the same decision, and I can do pretty much anything.

with love, artie

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks Artie. Yes, I feel I've made the right decision. As long as I can hold my camera/lens combo I'm happy...and of course still playing classical guitar. That Nikon D850/500mm PF combo has been in my thoughts quite a lot...the D850 would be a great landscape lens (I have the 6D at present) and the 500mm PF may be better than my 100-400 (not getting rid of it though) Thoughts?

[Arthur Morris]

The D850 would be a great landscape body :) There is lots on the blog on the 500 PF. You lose one stop of light compared to an f/4 prime and you save a ton of weight and size. As compared to the 100-400 II and the 80-400 VR you lose lots of versatility. Do check out the somewhat conversation that I had with Isaac Grant in panes 11, 15, and 18 of the BPN post here.

with love, artie

ps: best advise: go to my blog and do a search for "500 PF" or "500mm PF."

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks Artie.