Black-necked Stilt Reflection

[NoahGaines]

Canon 50D, 100-400 IS taken at 340mm. f5.6, 1/2000, ISO 640. No flash. -1 EV.

PP = light crop, s and h, noise reduction and blur to background, sharpening to bird.

I was having trouble blowing out the whites while photographing these birds and went down to -1 to preserve them. How is the exposure? Are the whites too dingy, are the blacks blocked? or is it ok?

I was trying to compose a simple reflection pose without distractions and with a pleasing background.

Noah Gaines
Santa Barbara, CA

[Floris van Breugel]

Love the dark background here Noah. The whites look good. I suppose some of the blacks on the bird are a hair 'black' - but not really an issue for me. I do wish for another element to balance the bird, or give a little more sense of the environment. Else I would suggest a lower perspective to really take it along the 'simplicity' route and eliminate the ripples and give a more deliberate portrait perspective.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the mood and eye contact. I think it needs a bit CW rotation and I would lighten the dark tones a bit.