African Black Oystercatcher
Canon 50D
100-400mm @ 400mm
1/1000 sec, f/8
Mode: Av
Metering: Evaluative
Exp comp: +1/3
ISO: 400
AF mode: AI Servo AF
Drive: Continuous (high): frame 1
White balance: Auto
Flash: Off
Taken in the Wetern Cape.
All comment and crits welcome
Some Might say shells in FG are distracting but i like it...
Im assuming the beach does lean towards the right? Super shot of a lovely bird! Like the lifted up foot, and good details in the blacks. Light a tad hard, but you have done well. I would get rid of the small white spots in line with the lifted up foot. Well done Bud!
Beautiful details in the blacks Kobus. The leg lift adds interest too.
Repost
Mark i forgot to take out white spots and yes its sloping to the sea;)
Sweet pose, EXP and environment. I like the OOF shells in the FG!
Hi Kobus. The black is nicely exposed and the pose is interesting. The only negative thing that stands out to me is the slight halo along the belly, but I am very sensitive to halos. Nice job.
The repost is better, though I might straighten it.
Very beautiful bird with good details on the black.
A editing halo is noticeable.
Thx for the comments all.
Amy so am i and saw it but i think its due to the sand reflection on it....the raw has the same halo:confused:
Here is the Raw. resized thats it....Nothing done to this image at all
Last edited by Kobus Tollig; 07-10-2009 at 03:17 PM.
It could be from the light. I compared both the images zoomed in and the halo is more pronounced in your post-processed version. Perhaps if you contract your selection around the bird by 1 pixel before USM, the halo will not stand out.Originally Posted by Kobus Tollig
Superb shot. I love the silky blacks with lots of detail. I don't find too distracting the oof shell line. Sharpness, pose and rising foot is very nice.
Was this taken on Robben Island or along the coastline of Western Cape? Based on the white sand it should be the coastline where there are beautiful white dunes. Makes me remember my time in the West Coast National Park. :)
Szimi
Thx for the comment Gyorgy it was on the coastline right on the edge where the sea and dunes meet. Was just north of Hermanus if you know where that is...
I like the pose, sharpness and exposure control. I agree that it looks like a S/H halo around the body. Interesting to see the African variety of this species.
Hey Kobus
What is its scientific name? Looks so much like our Aussie Oystercatcher, in fact, it appears identical. I like the comp and the blacks are great. Lots of detail. No probs with the shells.
Last edited by Ákos Lumnitzer; 07-10-2009 at 05:19 PM. Reason: spelling, so sue me! :D
Nice pose, and exposure. Blacks don't get much better than this. I hadn't paid too much attention to the out of focus material in the foreground until I got to Peter's repost. In my opinion the image is a bit more pleasing without the out of focus material but your original post is very nice too. Thanks for sharing.
Blacks are perfect, as is the pose.
That last post really made a difference, I loved the orinigal image though, but the last repost really improved it IMO. Great exposure, pose, BG, detail, colors and comp.
Congratulations!
Peter's repost way to go!
Thanks Kobus for sharing this beauty.
Fantastic light angle, shooting angle... oh, everything is fantastic in this image Kobus. I just love it. Very good job :-)
Thx so much for all the comments appreciate it lots. I like the shot as i posted it cause they play with the shells and find food there. For me its part of them. Repost works nice thx Peter but ill stick to mine.
Axel i did not use any S/H here thx
Interesting, the halo is not strong anyway but makes me wonder if it is due to dark plumage and bright beach.
Thats what i think to. If you look at the raw i posted then its got to be that
almost missed this. nice one Kobus! blacks handled well and great pose and detail captured. I like your original with OOF seashells more as well. :)
If the shells where in focus...:D
Excellent exposure on the blacks Kobus, the feather detail show up nicely. Love the raised foot, and I like the pastel colours in the BG. Have you sorted out your problems with your 50D, as this is back to your high standard.
Good detail in the blacks.
Nice image Kobus, very well exposed image. The Halo more than likely from the strong contrast. The DOF works very well here getting the OC to pop nicely. Well done
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