Rather High Key Godwit

[Mikko Viljamaa]

Hi again folks,

I have seen so many fine Marbled Godwit photos here that I'm forced to try something different again...

This one is also from Fort Desoto, in case you didn't guess. I used noise reduction to blur the BG slightly more than what the original shows. Monday morning QB on my shoulder says that I should have used little smaller aperture to get the whole bird sharp. Now DOF leaves some room to improve.

I'm also curious to hear if you guys think that the crossed legs are a "no-no" in this case.


Cheers,

Mikko



EOS MK3 + 500/4
F/6.3
CW-Average 1/500; + 2 2/3
ISO 400
Camera on tripod as low as it gets - Mikko on his knees...
Distance 12,1m

[Dave Leroy]

Very fine photo. Looks very nice.

I like the crossed legs so no problem with me. Dof seems all right as well.

I may prefer a bit more colour/contrast in bird but that is personal choice.

Lining up the eye and reflection perhaps a bit ccw rotation?

I think I am going to start putting a thin black border around the image to set it off for web viewing.

I also like the nice low angle.

Dave

[Daniel Cadieux]

Absolutely nothing wrong with the DOF! The crossed legs are also good. Very serene image. The only thing is that I wish there wasn't a faint smudge cutting the reflected bill and legs in two...you could always connect those in post if within your ethics.

[Joe Senzatimore]

DOF and crossed legs are fine with me as well. Would like a bit more contrast in the bird.

[Robert Holguin]

Fabulous image, nothing that bothers me in this photo. I love the mood and pose. Well done.

[Brendan Dozier]

Real nice Mikko, good comp, agree with bit more contrast & bit of CC rotation.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Mikko,
I'm fine with the crossed legs too. You may want to select the bird and just add a bit to the neutrals or blacks in Selective color to give it some more pop. The mood and look of this are fantstic IMO.....so a small tweak will put it over the top!

[Steven Kersting]

Nice pic! Love the feel....I think a levels adjustment is about the only thing it needs. You could crop out some of the reflection at the "break" to get down to just the essentials, but it's quite nice as is.

Example edit:

[Xavier Maessen]

I like the original post much better, with the subdued colors... For me the only minor niggle is the underbroken reflection of the bill.

Congratulations, Mikko !!

Xavier

[Mikko Viljamaa]

Thanks everyone!