Another image from my Northern Michigan loon adventure. I liked the strong side lighting which gave more definition and really accentuated the water drops. May be a bit dark for some folks taste:)
D300 500mm f/4 1/4 TC f/6.3 1/1600s ISO 800
Post: CS4 PS, selective sharpening , noise reduction on background 5% crop from right for comp.
Advice always appreciated.
Randy
Last edited by Randy Stout; 06-19-2010 at 09:03 PM.
Randy, Beautiful sharp details and nice close up. I agree it's a bit tight esp. on the bottom. I might evict the small spot on the chest and the one in the water on the left. The darkness makes the image special IMO.
I like the sidelight and would tone down the breast with a Linear Burn and lose the spot there. Head angle excellent for this pose. Yes to a bit more room below.
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Hi Randy, I like how you used the light and how the bird is displayed against the background. The dark background with hints of waves is lovely. The pose is nice which provides a great view of the head. I like the bird big in frame but, a little room at he bottom (if you have it) might be worth considering. Well done.
No more room below, this is 95% of the original frame, just a bit off the right to improve the comp.
The brightest area on the breast is reflection off the water, and I liked the overall balance of light on the breast, esp. because the image is otherwise so dark. I will work on it a bit.
I debated the mark on the breast. I am always trying to be able to identify individual birds where I shoot, and elected to leave it there as a marker. Easy enough to remove for posting.
Actually, I must be odd man out as I like the crop as is:). It accentuates the flare of the white lines/markings (they don't get lost with additional information at the bottom) on the breast of the bird. The image for me is the head of the loon and the water droplets (all very sharp). I like that you can 'feel' the softness of the neck area.
Beautiful bird (wonderful vocalization - don't get to hear very often).
Randy, I like it very much. The dark feeling puts it over the top for me. Do you use an aquatic hide? Did you touch the BG? Very pretty image and a big congratulations for it.
Hey Randy,
See what happens when you go to the Roman schoold of cropping:D!!! I think the sidelight really took this up a notch. Plenty of seperation from the BG....so the darness only works to accentuate the bird. Could go with breast toning down too.....but this is really well done!
Lorant, no manipulation of BG except noise reduction. I shoot from my fishing boat named the "Loonatic"
Here is a link to show the setup. I try to get as low as possible, shot just above the gunwale.
Probably my favorite image of yours Randy! Fantastic detail and an excellent exposure (I'm assuming manual exposure?). I would frame it a little looser at the bottom, and I agree about removing some of the spots. Still, an excellent image!
Side lit loon
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