Samuel Peep Goes Through the Looking-Glass

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Everyone,
This was taken on Fort Myers Beach in February. This was my first encounter with these tiny little birds - what a delight! :)
1D Mk 3 300 f/2.8 + 1.4TC
ISO 400
f/4 1/4000
Exp comp +2/3
Look forward to your c & c's!
Best regards,
Nicki

[Randy Stout]

Nicki:

Nice sand hugging angle of view. Sharp, perhaps just a bit bright for my taste, but thats life at the beach.

Foot up, faint reflection, all nice.

I might consider a different crop, moving the bird more towards the LUC, cropping in from the top and left side, fairly close to the darker patch of bubbles behind the bird.

I like it as is, just some thoughts to consider.

Cheers

Randy

Could clean up a few of the darker spots on the beach, not the bubbles or shells.

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Hi Randy!
Thanks for your kind comments. I did play around with different crops and settled on this one for now. I definitely might clean up the dark patches.
Best regards,
Nicki

[Phil Ertel]

Hi Nicki, I like the low angle of capture. I agree with Randy on the raised foot and reflection adding to the image. I can live with the crop as presented but do agree with Randy that it is a little to bright for my taste. I took a quick look at darkening it a bit and thought it help bring out more of the colors and added some contrast. Again my personal preference but may not represent what you saw when capturing the image. Thanks for sharing.

[Steve Maxson]

I see you found a very cooperative Piping Plover, Nicki. :) Looks like it is intensely searching for small food items. I like the smooth wet sand with the reflection as well as the bubbles and shells near the bird. I would agree with the comments above about the brightness and cropping.

[Fabs Forns]

I don't mind the center placement because of the little things to both sides, but I'd crop top and bottom, but much negative on both counts.
I will not comment on brightness, I'll leave that to the experts.

[Grace Scalzo]

Personally, I'd trim from the top and the left. I like the intense focus of the piping plover (perhaps my personal favorite shorebird) and the inclusion of the habitat elements. I'm no expert, but your images are bright in general, it is your personal seasoning, and I rather like it!

[Nicki Gwynn Jones]

Phil, Steve, Fabs and Grace, thanks so much much for your comments. For some reason this does look very bright on the screen - the print seems to have more detail. I will look again at some different crops based on your comments.
I do love the intense way in which these little plovers search for food and that 'thing' they do with their foot...:)
Best to all,
Nicki