For the third morning in a row I went out to Bolsa Chica. When I took this picture I thought I had a least sandpiper, but I'm told it is a non-breeding black-bellied plover. If so, it is my first -- that I'm aware of. Except for being slightly above the bird, I think the image is okay. And except for cropping, NR and Sharpening my PP was very minimal.
Wendell, I see some nice improvements in your photography and congrats on your first BB plover. The raised foot is nice. Your own assessment of your shooting angle is spot on...you can see how the background that you get from this angle is not pleasing. Recovering from knee surgery myself, so have been "angle challenged". Maybe try sitting on a stool or a chair if getting flat on your belly isn't your style. The image also looks overexposed, that will come with time, practice, and study. Keep it up!
I like the raised foot. This is another one that you can find at the beach; the angle here is extremely steep. Lastly, there is a large brown halo around bird's breast. I think that this is too contrasty rather than over-exposed (but I did not check the EXP in PS....)
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Wendell,
Grace ofers some sound advise. I too have a problem laying low so I almost always shoot from a stool. The use of a Right Angle Finder will also allow a low angle while sitting. takes a while to get used to , but worth the effort. Stay with it and listen to the great sdvise you will find here and you will improve as time goes on.:D Keep up the hard work and effort.
I like the look and raised foot, but the steep downward angle detracts from the image, IMO. The bird appears very contrasty and a bit soft. Exposure seems ok, but it has an overexposed look due to the high contrast. I also wish the bird was a bit higher in the frame to leave more rroom for the under water foot.
Black-bellied Plover
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