Sandhill in for the Night

[Bonnie Block]

Taken a bit north of Bosque. It was almost dark.

Canon 1D MKIII-500/4
1/320s f/5.6 at 700.0mm iso1600

[Graeme Sheppard]

That's a beautiful composition with an amazing background. Love it!

[Randy Stout]

Bonnie:

I think this is very nice, with a painterly feel (which is good), nice connection with the environment without the background overpowering, nice comp.

Well done!

Randy

[denise ippolito]

Bonnie, I like this one a lot. The background is lovely. Some might want the one tree that cuts through the wing to be faded a bit but it doesn't bother me. Nice in coming pose and details. I love to see the feet hanging.

[Arthur Morris]

A loverly image with soft light and a sweet wing position. Like the light coming through the secondaries. My only wish would be that you had captured the image one second later.....

[Bonnie Block]

Thanks, everyone--sometimes it is fun to go back and revisit images. It is like Christmas all over again!

A loverly image with soft light and a sweet wing position. Like the light coming through the secondaries. My only wish would be that you had captured the image one second later.....

Artie, thank you. I do have the whole flight in captured. I will post the one second after later today. Although, it is probably more like 1/2 second. The later image has just a tough of motion blur in the legs--and a nice one where it is starting to fold wings--the right wing crumples a bit. I'll post more of this series for comparison.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Bonnie. Feel free to post the half second later image here now :) The plan was for the bird to maintain the exact same position but to be a bit lower in the frame. The BKGR framing would have been greatly improved with just a bit of the light area well above the bird. A guy can dream, can't he? :)

[Bonnie Block]

1/2 second later (if that) I definitely like the inclusion of the water and definitely the light above the bird works better for me. Head position not as nice--but wing tips are less blurred. I like the perspective that has been created. The first one looks like an angry moody bird! Thanks Artie--
1/250s f/5.6 at 700.0mm iso1600

[Arthur Morris]

Sweet. Now take the head separated from the body and the BKGR framing of the second one.... IAC, both are well done. You might wish to take the time to clear the sharp grasses that have been introduced to the bottom of the image. I love the gray (frame) above the bird in the repost.

[Bonnie Block]

Well, probably not for the purist's --but not bad! :cool:
Thanks again!

[Herb Houghton]

Hi Bonnie, great job on nailing an in flight at 1/320. I imagine you were shooting in Av mode as the second shot is 1/250 a half second later. Both shots are pleasing to me. Great sharpness and nice BGD.

[Hendri Venter]

I like the mood in this from the low light and the angle towards you. Very well captured in difficult conditions Bonnie.