I imagine the shells will be quite controversial, but I like them!
500mm f/4 IS + 1.4tc, AV Mode
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 1/4000 sec
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 700 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 320
Exposure Bias: +1/3 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Dave, I don't mind the shells but wish they weren't quite so large in front of your sanderling. It looks like maybe a bit of contrast is needed to get your bird to pop a bit from the BG. Tight in frame for me. You had plenty of room to stop down. Overall it's a cute image and I like it.
I like the angle, pose and it looks as if he uses the shells as camouflage. I agree regarding more contrast and stopping down more. The light looks a bit harsh, I looked at the EXIF and it states you made it at 11PM. I guess the clock in your camera is slightly off. :)
More DOF didn't come to mind at the time (don't know why), but that seems that it may create more distractions with the foreground and background here? Contrast is noted, but since the blacks appear as black and the whites appear as white there doesn't seem to be a great deal of room for adjustment w/o losing detail? Axel - No matter how many times I reset the clock on my 40D, it never stays correct. I guess it needs a new internal battery or whatever. Denise - This isn't cropped, but I imagine that stitching together 2 frames would have been a great idea here, both retaining fine detail and gaining a roomy comp. Thanks for the comments everyone.
I like the shells with the bird crouching near with that "has he seen me" look on its face.
On my screen, too, there is something amiss about the whites. While the whitest whites look white, the near-whites seem too grey (how many times can I use white in one sentence!). I wonder have you done some highlight recovery? That sometimes leaves the near-whites a bit dullish grey, just like shadow recovery can leave near-blacks a bit muddy. I reckon this image is worth another try on the processing.
Shellpiper
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