Taken with Canon 7D 500mm f4 + 1.4ext @ f5.6 iso 400 1/2000 on a tripod manual exposure
I've been trying to get more shots at the level of the bird so I had the tripod with no legs extended so I was down pretty low.
This was taken on a very windy day on a little spit of land sticking into the Puget Sound.
In Lightroom I lowered the exposure by 1/4 stop, did some highlight recovery, bumped up the clarity and vibrance. Then I sharpened the image with High Pass sharpening in CS5.
I've gone back and forth whether to crop this tighter to show greater detail or have more space like this.
I personally wouldn't crop it any tighter. It is possible to get the bird too big in the frame.
You have tweaked the exposure pretty well, the whites look good.
If possible, having the light more over your back would have given more even illumination of the bird, esp. the face and breast. This means being aware of the sun angle as you are shooting and trying to take the image when your shadow is pointing at the bird. The brighter the light, the more critical this alignment becomes. IN soft light, you have much more flexibility on light angle.
I would try to tone down some of the bright specular reflections, esp. behind the bird, and would also tone down the rocks just a bit, so they compliment and don't compete with the bird.
The idea of getting lower for your shots is great, helps a lot in most circumstances.
Randy stole the words out of my mouth, especially in regards to cropping and light angle. Good on you to consciously making decisions such as getting lower to achieve better photos. Good profile pose on this fella, and I like the waterfront habitat.
Black-bellied Plover
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