Dipper

[Rich Steel]

Hi

I like to have a mini project near my office so I can pop out with my camera during my lunch hour. Currently this is photographing dippers on a stream. The main problem is a lack of time as it takes me 15 minutes to get to them and 15 minutes back so I only get 30 minutes to try and get some photos. However, I am helped a bit as on my first outing looking for them I found two pairs each building a nest. Photographing the dppers this year has been helped by the very cold winter as the trees seem very delayed in coming in to leaf so there is still plenty of light falling on the stream that flows through a wood. It never ceases to amaze me how easy it to walk past a dipper despite their incredibly bright white breast feathers.



Taken with 1DmkIV and 500mm lens with 1.4TC on a monopod at ISO640 F7.1 -2/3EV at 1/640s.

Cheers

Rich

[Stephen Stephen]

Rich I really like the head angle, pose and sharp details on this bird but I find it gets lost in the very dark background. Perhaps my monitor needs re-calibrating.

If not I would suggest selecting the BG only and lightening that in another layer. A simpler method may be to boost the Gamma correction a bit or lower the contrast a touch.

[Steve Kaluski]

Always good to see this birds Rich, and holding the whites is also very difficult, however this is spot on for me. You have really good detail and body colouring. based on the time you had you have been very lucky as these birds scoot off quite quickly and travel another 200 m up stream. :D

It's quite subtle, but would agree on just lightening the BG a touch and I mean a touch, just to lift it.

TFS
Steve ;)

[Ignacio Yufera]

I don't mind the dark BG, it suggests the kind of habitat these birds live in, and the bird is sufficiently separated from it in my opinion. this is how you most often find them in the field. I just see a spot left of the bird's bill that I find a little distracting.

Very nice detail, color and expression.

[Rich Steel]

Thanks for the comments. I agree the background could be lifted a touch. They are a tough exposure with those breast feathers being so brilliant white.

cheers

Rich

[Jonathan Ashton]

Nice one Rich the background is a pain in the proverbial but you have the dipper beautifully captured, I have fiddled with the jpeg but no luck - I suspect my skills are too limited, perhaps the RAW will enable a little lift?
Taken where I presume?