Bulldog of the Swamp

[Mike Godwin]

Nikon D300 w/ 70-200 VR + 1.7 tel (340mm) F20 1/250 ISO 200 Spot metered -0.7 step

Taken Friday evening at Gatorland. I just love the Black Crowned Night Heron... there's just something about that vivid red eye! I was going for a portrait shot, using spot metering and aperture to darken the background and highlight the face in the setting sun. Slight crop for effect.

Mike Godwin
Gatorland

[Tony Whitehead]

I agree, Mike, that red eye is a real focal point. The image looks under-exposed to me. What did you spot meter from to determine that -0.7 was needed? I'm also not sure regarding your comment about using the aperture to darken the BG - aperture controls the exposure of the whole image but affects DOF which can have an effect on how the BG is rendered in relation to the subject. f20 is probably a smaller aperture than you needed to render the whole bird sharp and would have made the BG details more clear (in focus) than a wider aperture. A very small aperture also starts to affect sharpness by introducing diffraction errors into the focus. I have tried a quick curves adjustment to brighten the bird a little while keeping the BG dark. Also applied a vibrance increase to teh eye and face. Not sure how this fits with what you were trying to achieve.

[bill kominsky]

The re-do by Tony is gorgeous.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the composition and details and agree regarding underexposure. The repost improves the image quite a bit.

[John Chardine]

Very moody! I like it. Even though the light is filtered, it works here. I liked the OP and I like the repost by Tony even better because it brings the bird to life.

[Doug Brown]

The best way to create two exposures in one is to use flash. Set your flash exposure compensation to illuminate your subject the way you like, and set the camera's exposure for the desired BG brightness. That way you can underexpose the BG while properly exposing the subject.

[Arthur Morris]

Wonderful image and Tony's repost puts it over the top (along with his great explanation). I too was confused by the metering. I think that I met your brother Mark at Spacecoast last weekend, or was that you? Mark, Mike? Yikes!