I was photographing a mixed flock of turnstones and surfbirds with some light cloud cover when the broke through just enough to add some softish light to everything. This turnstone did me the favor of posing for a few seconds at just the right distance to fill the frame.
Tim
Canon EOS 50D
500 F4L
Exposure time 1/1000 sec
Focal number f/8.0
ISO speed 800 ISO
Lovely detail in the darker plumage. Exposure very close, maybe a -1/3 would have toned down the whites, esp where the wings overlap at the rear, but very nice.
Head angle nice, sharp. A lower shooting angle would have been nice if your location, time and the background would allow.
The bill has some debris on it, and depending on your feelings, could be cleaned up.
I like the mossy rock.
The other point for me is the bird is too tight. Looks like he is having to crouch to fit in.
I know you didn't have time to fiddle with it, but a step or two back would have been perfect.
Hi Tim,
Randy brought up some excellent points on the lower angle and such. I am a big fan of tight crops.....but here it is even too tight for me....especially on the feet and front of bill. This is a good picture ...but all the little details help make an good picture......extraordinary. I do realize that these guys are pretty quick and don't hang around and pose..so often difficult to move with the 500 quickly...so these are just tips to try and concentrate on in the field.
Tightness in the frame is my main issue here, but the others also bring up some good points. If this is cropped it will obviously be easy to add some canvas back. I like the "messy" bill in this instance as it looks like fresh feeding debris. I would, however, remove the two smaller highlights found in the eye's pupil.
Black Turnstone
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