BB Plover in wrack

[allanrube]

It was windy at the beach yesterday afternoon and most of the birds were hunkering down in or near the wrack. Here is a black-bellied plover.
D300s 600mm with 1.7tc 1/125 at f/6.7 (wide open) +1EV (auto) iso 220.

[Marina Scarr]

Hi Allan:

I see what you were trying to do here, and I like how you have included the environment. If it were mine, I think I would take a little off of the right. It's too bad the BG isn't more pleasing to the eye, but I love the mount of sand and seaweed right next to the bird.

[denise ippolito]

Alan, Your BB looks cold and lonely. I think the blue tones in the image add to that sense which I like very much. I like the composition. Agree w/ Marina on the BG. -maybe tone down some of the dark spots in the BG. I love the sand pile w/ the wrack on the left of the image and your bird is sharp and well exposed.

[Danny J Brown]

Hi Alan: Another beautiful shorebird composition. I like the way the dark spots in the background help to frame up the bird but I suppose it could be toned down a little but its not really a distraction to me. The "hunkering down" sense comes through well in your photo. Thanks.

[Jim Fenton]

Allan...I like it a lot due to the inclusion of the habitat.

I agree that the bird should be further to the right in the frame.

The image looks a bit too blue / cyan hued on my monitor? Knowing that this was created in the afternoon, my eyes want it to be a bot warmer toned.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Alan,
Whilst I love the bird and the seaweed on the left I do find the BG a little distracting. I like the blue tones of the image - it seems to increase the impression of a cold lonely bird all alone on the beach. I like the positioning of the bird as it is.
Best,
Nicki

[allanrube]

I will play with the bg some but I do like the inclusion of the wrack. I think the detailed wrack in the front lets the viewer know what all the "blobs" are in the back.

Jim, you know I batch to 5300 wb. On this one I went to 6000, then added a bit of warmth in NX2. Finally, in PS, I added a tiny bit (about 4%) of a warming photo filter. I went a bit warmer but it did not look right. It was late afternoon but a dark cloud was covering the sun and the wind conveyed cold to me. Should I be going on the look or the way I felt? :)

[Jim Fenton]

Alan...

I know how cold it was...we were both there but didn't know it :)

Color temp is subjective....this one just didn't come across as natural to me for that time of day, but I have no doubt that it conveys what your bones were experiencing :)

[allanrube]

I warmed it a bit and took off a bit of the right side. Can't seem to do anything with the background.

[Blake Shadle]

Alan, I really like the concept of this image. The dune and plover offer great compositional balance (I wish there was less room on the right and more on the left side of the frame). If you had the plover and little dune with a smooth complimentary BG you'd have a killer image. Good eye.

[david cramer]

Well done, Allan. Personally, I would crop in a bit all the way around, but that might lose the feel you are going for.