Double-banded Plover in breeding plumage

[Mark Young]

I got this just before sunset 2 days ago.
It's of a Double-banded Plover in breeding plumage. These birds breed in New Zealand and over-winter here before heading home to breed again. And as this bird is in near 100% breeding plumage it should only be with us a few more weeks.

Canon 400 300f4+1.4tc, ISO200, f6.3, 1/1250, -0.3ev, Av mode, Ev metering. Tripod
Cropped approx 40%, slight curves, levels, HS adjust, USM, Cloned oof rock in bg.

[Arthur Morris]

Killer bird and plumage. EXP and basic COMP right on. I would crop a bit from the rear and from below, lose the big clump and the smaller spot behind and below the bird. Head angle perfect for a field guide portrait. Next time say to the bird, "Please stand up on the little sand pile." Not seeing the feet here is a loss.

[Mark Young]

Thanks for the tips Arthur,

[Arthur Morris]

Better and no sweat. I'd have taken a bit less of the rear. Looks great w/o the two stones. My last suggestion would take a bit of work. Working large on the lower edge of the frame, about 2/3 of it in all, put in a strip of all blue water along the bottom. It will be a lot of work to do it well but would be well worth it. Unless you have more chances on this bird and get him with his feet showing :)

[Lance Peters]

Hi Mark - Repost looks good to me - Great advice from Artie!!
Love these guys - they usually co-operate fairly well.

[Mark Young]

Thanks Arthur and Lance,

Arthur, I wasn't sure if you were referring to just adding a touch of blue, or whether to add the blue and remove some of the vegetation in the fg. So I've done two reposts. I think the one with the most work done looks the better of the 2, and you were right about it taking a bit to create a natural reflection.

How do you think it looks without the reflection of the Plover? I was half tempted to PP the reflection in.

[Mark Young]

And the 3rd repost with more of the fg vegetation removed.

[Arthur Morris]

Both reposts are good but the 2nd repost is a bit over the top even for me :) (It looks too, too smooth...) Working from the first repost I made a few small changes that improved it considerably. I think :)

[Mark Young]

Thanks for the learning curve Arthur. I think next time I'll just have to get those feet in shot! ;)

[Arthur Morris]

YAW and good plan.