This pair of trumpeters was imaged at the local bird sanctuary in October. I always enjoy watching their exuberant interactions.
D300 500mm f/4 at f/5.6 Tc 1.4 ISO 800 Manual exp Better beamer -.7 EC
Gitzo, Wimb II
Post: CS5 Selective sharpening, curves, crop for comp.
Self critique: Wish I had a bit more room on right, should have gone for a smaller aperture for DOF (was set up for solo shots)
Foreground a bit cluttered from lilly pads
Randy, the open beaks shows off their behaviour nicely, and I do like the outspread wings. Good OOF BG, and another vote for some added space below if you have it.
In the shot as presented above, I can almost feel you trying to figure out the dilemma of more-space-plus-clutter and less-clutter-and-maybe-a-little-tight. Your choice is defensible and quite possibly optimal. It's a lively shot, well-exposed.
The color is very nice. I like the coral background echoing the inside of their mouths. I agree with the self-critique. I would really like to see the same space on left and right around the wing tips. I'm less sure about the bottom. I understand the comments about more space, but it feels OK as presented, and I'm pretty sure more bottom full of vegetation would not appeal to me. I would even be inclined to see what content-aware fill could do to remove the bits of leaf shown.
Hi Randy I like the action captured in your images and the open beaks and flapping wings convey the action admirably. Nice BG colour and I would also like a little more room below, I am partial to habitat and don't mind the lily pads.
Love the interaction and the soft light. And the fact that the front bird is looking at the back bird but that we can still get a pretty good view of its face. Assuming that you still have more room above pointing the camera down a bit to get four inches or so of the vegetation might have been the best way to go (based on the don't clip principle...)
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Trumpeters, yakking it up
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