Dunlin

[Dave Blinder]

from yesterday at Barnegat Light, New Jersey
this was was the best silhouette shot i got with a little bill separation between birds, also liked the formation. all comments welcome and appreciated.



Not much post done, levels adjustment, crop to balance composition, horizon adjustment

Canon 40D, 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4tc
AV Mode
f/5.6
1/2000s shutter
ISO 125
-1.7 ec

[Dave Leroy]

I really like the idea Dave. It is nice and simple and tells a bit of a story. Separation between birds would have been nice for me. I really like the sand how it and the bg look like ice crystals/winter frost. I also like the bit of detail in fg bird. I often wonder how a photo like this would look with a tad of colour; perhaps it is there, and I can't see it. Well done. Dave

[ChasMcRae]

I would like to have had more profile on the most forward bird.
I like the premise of the idea and would have worked it many ways as they moved.
The back-lit ? sand has a very nice look and quality.

[Arthur Morris]

Interesting idea and COMP. I might prefer it as a true SILH.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Very interesting, I like the comp, the great point is that the bill is fully on bright BG. I like it.

[Dave Blinder]

I really like the idea Dave. It is nice and simple and tells a bit of a story. Separation between birds would have been nice for me. I really like the sand how it and the bg look like ice crystals/winter frost. I also like the bit of detail in fg bird. I often wonder how a photo like this would look with a tad of colour; perhaps it is there, and I can't see it. Well done. Dave

Thanks Dave, I would have liked more separation too, however there were hundreds of shorebirds running through this patch of sand. I snapped away for a while and this was a good as it got.

Sometimes I will run a "photo filter" in photoshop, and that will often perk up a monotone-like image no matter what hue you go with. I kept this as shot, because I've been going crazy with processing lately.

I would like to have had more profile on the most forward bird.
I like the premise of the idea and would have worked it many ways as they moved.
The back-lit ? sand has a very nice look and quality

Thanks for the feedback Charles, I believe the lighting was a bit of an angular backlighting here. The background is water in the cove.

Interesting idea and COMP. I might prefer it as a true SILH.

Thanks Artie. Seems like I'd need complete separation for a true SILH?

Very interesting, I like the comp, the great point is that the bill is fully on bright BG. I like it.

Thanks very much Ilijia. The bill is what grabbed me on this frame too, on many other frames the bird was preening or resting and there was no bill separation at all, not to mention the birds in the back didn't stay put.