I know this would be better had I been able to get lower, but I like how he's "showing" the clam he just dove and came up with. Taken at Lake Merritt Channel Park. pp in Lightroom, ~50% crop.
40D + 500L + 1.4x on monopod; ISO 400, ss 1/800, f4.5.
Hi Allen - like the action and the colours - agree that a little lower shooting angle might have improved - though think the perfect timing here more than makes up for it.
Think there might be a few scattered hot spots - might be worth checking your histogram.
Nice one Allen. Of course love the feeding action. Also think the water is very beautiful. The whites on the side look hot although they may not be technically clipped. Would be useful to see if you can tone these down in the RAW processing. One way to do it is to use the Recover slider. You my also need to bring the exposure slider down a little, and compensate by adding some fill light. Having said this, you run the risk of showing up noise in the darker areas. The is a tough bird in harsh light light you have here. Here's a good BPN thread on "saving the whites".
He looks almost like he's posing for the camera, to show off his catch.
This is a tough shot to get right, due to the range in the subject and the harsh light. Given that, I think you did a good job on the shot.
I did notice the bright whites on the wing and I think John's suggestions covered that well.
Scaup with mollusk
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