Not on the Barnegat Jetty

[Arthur Morris]

On my walk to the Barnegat Jetty on the windy afternoon of Monday, 28 DEC I encountered several Horned Larks huddled on the beach against the stiff west wind.

This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 IS L lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/9.

Sometimes that wind can be our ally.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

ps: headed back to FL tomorrow. Yippee.

pps: I pity anyone who was on the jetty this afternoon... Winds were gusting to 40-50 with temps in the mid-20s.

[Arthur Morris]

Self-critique: lose the blue blob above the bird :)

[Aidan Briggs]

Hey Artie. I love the soft muted light, the perfect exposure, and the head-on stare. Tack sharp too. The only thing I might do is tone down some of the brighter beach detritus esp. the stuff in the lower right.

P.S. I definitely like the re-post better.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Aidan. Good suggestion.

[scott benson]

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[Danny J Brown]

Hi Artie - I love the color in this image. The cold, blue look of the substrate and background compliment the soft colors of the bird. My favorite part of the image is the yellowish bib on the horned lark. The curious in-your-face stare of the bird really adds here, as well. We have a conservation area nearby with tons of horned larks but they have never been amenable to my photogaphy so this is a vicarious experience for me. Man, that 800 + TC really pulls a thin slice of focus even at f/9. I guess a person has to know a little bit about what he/she is doing when using that beast.:)

[Arthur Morris]

i love this shot, but i feel its to bright and lacks contrast, but it could be my monitor, i did have a play with your pic and i would post my version but i dont wont to upset you arthur.

Scott, On my calibrated monitor with the calibration strip looking perfect the tonality and contrast of the image looks just as I want it. As for upsetting me, you no can do. I am a lover of what is and my happiness is my choice. Only I can upset me and I rarely choose to do that. :)

Best advice: always work on a calibrated monitor if you wish to comment on brightness, tonality, and contrast else you are just blowing smoke :)

Hope that I did not upset you Scott. ;)

[scott benson]

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[Arthur Morris]

not a problem arthur, my monitor was calibrated a while ago, but the other images posted look spot on as do other images on other sites im a member of, surely one image would't be that different, i could be wrong. as in this one of yours, http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=53054
scott

Do you adjust the brightness via the calibration strip by adjusting the angle of your monitor every time that you sit down to a session?

As for the sparrow image, it is to be expected than an image created when the sun has ducked behind a cloud would show less contrast than one on a sunny day with the bird sitting on the snow.

With the lark, I ran the pre-set Linear Curve and reduced the opacity because it looked too contrasty for the conditions.

In addition, neither Aidan or Danny commented on either the brightness or the contrast, and as I said, it looks exactly as I want it to so I am not gonna lose any sleep.

Respectfully.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie - I love the color in this image. The cold, blue look of the substrate and background compliment the soft colors of the bird. My favorite part of the image is the yellowish bib on the horned lark. The curious in-your-face stare of the bird really adds here, as well. We have a conservation area nearby with tons of horned larks but they have never been amenable to my photography so this is a vicarious experience for me. Man, that 800 + TC really pulls a thin slice of focus even at f/9. I guess a person has to know a little bit about what he/she is doing when using that beast.:)

I actually warmed it up quite a bit with an Average Blur Color Balance. Yes. We were on foot. I had only gotten miles away in my vehicle with film a zillion years ago so this was a treat. I do not pay much attention to d-o-f. I have been focusing on the eye and working close to wide open for more than 20 years so it is unlikely that I will change much. (One-shot AF and recompose here...)

[ChasMcRae]

The rock? in the lower left corner keeps pulling my eye away from the beautiful face of the Lark.

[scott benson]

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[Gloria Hopkins]

Grrrrr...looks like a grouch! I love this for many reasons: the FG, the pastel colors, that great expression. You are such an expert at capturing great facial expressions. Comp is gorgeous of course. PS: the blue bob did not bother me. It was the same hue as the shells/rocks in the sand, and gave the image color continuity from FG to BG. Nice! Bye Arthur :)

[Harshad Barve]

Nothing much to add here Guruji but just wanted to know you on my clibrated monitor this looks perfect and loosing blue bolb was right choice
TFS

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Artie....awesome shot as usual. One question...why did you not go with a vertical or sqaure crop ? esp. because the bird is looking at you and there is OOF rock in LLC. You probably have one that way but posted the horizontal here. right?

[Arthur Morris]

Scott, I saw that you mentioned that your monitor is mounted on a wall. It is my understanding that it is impossible to adjust the brightness of an LCD monitor by calibrating it. Thus, the only way to control the brightness is by tilting the monitor while looking at the calibration strip.

[scott benson]

Scott, I saw that you mentioned that your monitor is mounted on a wall. It is my understanding that it is impossible to adjust the brightness of an LCD monitor by calibrating it. Thus, the only way to control the brightness is by tilting the monitor while looking at the calibration strip.

i dont know where you heard or saw that, but my monitor and my lcd tv i can sit in 99.9% off places without a change in contrast arthur. i dont buy cheap.

[Arthur Morris]

i dont know where you heard or saw that, but my monitor and my led tv i can sit in 99.9% off places without a change in contrast arthur. i dont buy cheap.

I subscribe to Repy Notifications. Perhaps this cut and paste of the post that you deleted above in Pane 12 will refresh your memory:

Dear Arthur Morris,

scott benson has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Not on the Barnegat Jetty - in the Avian: Image Critiques forum of BirdPhotographers.Net - It Ain't Just Birds!. Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************

my lcd is mounted to the wall, and i do calibrate it normally once a week.
may i suggest you remove your original statment of don't be shy all comments welcome.
as i have not felt welcome.
***************

Are you telling us know that you are viewing the image on a TV screen?

Some friendly advice sir: I have been trying to help you and you are continually on the defensive. Taking everything personally is not conducive to learning. When did I state or infer that you buy cheap?

Mystified.

[Arthur Morris]

The rock bugged me a bit but I like it as sort of a frame. It was not so noticeable out of camera.... It was not the blue-ness of the blob that bothered me but rather the position in the center of the frame. I could have moved it to the ulc....

IAC, above is my best SQ crop as suggested. Thanks all for stopping by.

[scott benson]

I subscribe to Repy Notifications. Perhaps this cut and paste of the post that you deleted above in Pane 12 will refresh your memory:

Dear Arthur Morris,

scott benson has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Not on the Barnegat Jetty - in the Avian: Image Critiques forum of BirdPhotographers.Net - It Ain't Just Birds!. Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************

my lcd is mounted to the wall, and i do calibrate it normally once a week.
may i suggest you remove your original statment of don't be shy all comments welcome.
as i have not felt welcome.
***************

Are you telling us know that you are viewing the image on a TV screen?

Some friendly advice sir: I have been trying to help you and you are continually on the defensive. Taking everything personally is not conducive to learning. When did I state or infer that you buy cheap?

Mystified.

hi arthur i do not wish to get in to a point less argue ment with you, all i know is my monitor is calibrated, your image normally look top, this one just didnt look right to me, you said all comments welcome, but i made a comment in your reply you stated no one else said about it being to light,

quote,In addition, neither Aidan or Danny commented on either the brightness or the contrast, and as I said, it looks exactly as I want it to so I am not gonna lose any sleep.
if it was they way you wanted it why ask for peoples thoughts,

and yes my monitor is a 32" lcd calibrated with spyder 2 pro,

[Arthur Morris]

Whatever you say Scott. You missed my TV question...