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Thread: Wilson's Plover Chicks Still Going Strong

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    Default Wilson's Plover Chicks Still Going Strong

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    Wilson's Plover chicks are so little and fast that they are extremely difficult to capture. I decided to lie in the sand on my belly and wait for them to approach. One of the adults checked me out and, apparently, I passed the muster b/c the chicks marched right past me several times.

    Plover chicks are not dependent on the adults for food. Once they dry after hatching, they begin ambulating and foraging on the beach for food (crabs, insects and marine worms.) Their little legs can take them very far, and they are extremely quick for their size.

    Canon 50D, Canon 400 DO & 1.4 TC @ 560 mm
    F8, 1/2000sec, ISO 400, manual mode

    C & C always welcomed and appreciated,
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
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  2. #2
    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Marina:

    Lovely capture, great angle, sharp, well exposed, foot up pose really makes him/her look like they are 'stepping out!'

    I like the crop because it gives him lots of room to stride into.

    My only aesthetic comment would be on the horizon line cutting through the body of the chick.
    I wish it wasn't so distinct. You obviously couldn't have gotten in lower. A little higher might have isolated him cleanly against the beach, but your view wouldn't have been quite so intimate.

    You might want to blur the transition some more, and perhaps do a graded transition in brightness so that the sand more gradually fades into the horizon.

    Like it a lot!

    Randy

  3. #3
    Axel Hildebrandt
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    Cool goose/plover step. :) I like the angle, details and eye contact, would crop some off the top and remove the BG noise.

  4. #4
    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Axel Hildebrandt View Post
    would remove the BG noise.
    The noise with this 50D is killing me. I did quite a bit of NR on this picture. I have heard that removing the noise in DPP works better, and I am going to try that. Thank you.
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
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  5. #5
    Axel Hildebrandt
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marina Scarr View Post
    The noise with this 50D is killing me. I did quite a bit of NR on this picture. I have heard that removing the noise in DPP works better, and I am going to try that. Thank you.
    I've never used a 50D but remember that it is important not to underexpose images to avoid noise. At ISO 400 it shouldn't be too bad. I would run NR on the BG only. The noise reduction tool in PS works actually quite well and you don't get those little color dots with it. It seems there is also the infamous magenta cast in this image.

  6. #6
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    Great job getting this wonderful pose and excellent detail!

    Agree about cropping off the top and, given the large stride,
    might also crop from the right to get the bird even more to the right in the frame.

    Congrats on a very cool image!

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    Nits covered. Still great shot well done

  8. #8
    Forum Participant Manos Papadomanolakis's Avatar
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    great pose,low angle and light!

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    They told you about the NR already, so I am just going to say I love the pose, the light and comp. Congratulations.

  10. #10
    Judd Patterson
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    I certainly agree that these guys are speeding bullets and difficult to photograph. You had the right idea to get down and just wait for them to pass by...the result was an awesome image of this little guy mid-stride. I can see that troublesome 50D background noise that you've talked about. I think I might crop this one a little to remove some of the large gray background area. Nice work!!

  11. #11
    Paul Marcellini
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    Thanks for the additional info. A great intimate capture.

  12. #12
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    Noise and crop as suggested (off the top) I also use luminance in the ACR process as per Peter Kes above. Otherwise a magnificient image. :)

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