Not exactly a perfect image, but its the first time I've gotten within a hundred feet of a Black-bellied Plover. This juvie was much less skittish than other black-bellied plovers that I've encountered.
I arrived at the coast yesterday morning and was surprised to find several of these guys along the beach. It was very foggy and began raining after only twenty minutes or so, but I managed a portrait before I was forced to leave :)
50D, 100-400 at 400mm
1/250, f/7.1, ISO 320
Fill Flash, handheld
Nice display of his working environment. Normally I would prefer not to have the darker wave band in the BG right at head level, but it is so soft here, that it works well, and actually may act as a soft leading line from the sides drawing your attention towards the head.
In a perfect world, I wish the front wave was just a bit lower, but thats a minor point.
I concur with Randy about the front wave, but all else looks great. I find these guys pretty skittish too, and I too got the privilege of photographing a juvie at close range (point-blank!)...stay tuned...
I like all the neutral tones, and great job with the fill-flash...:cool:
Good luck getting a very nice juvie. Bad luck with the front wave.... Go back and get some more. Sharp with a perfect EXP as expected. The adults are tame in San Diego....
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Glad you were finally able to approach a BBP. They can present a real challenge. Great use of flash and like the monotone look. The front wave doesn't bother me b/c it gives me a sense of motion. However, dark portion at the bottom center draws my attention. I wish you could crop to just above that point, except that may clip his virtual feet. You may try, if you are not opposed, to lighten up that portion a bit.