Harlequin Retry

[Jon Saperia]

I had the opportunity to attend the last of the workshops for the season Denise led at Barnegat. I got better Harlequin (and other) shots than I have had before so I decided to post an image from that day.

This was taken with my D700 and 300mm (handheld) image was unique because the light was so subdued at this point I did not need any minus EV and was able to preserve the detail in the blacks around the neck ant the white feathers (I think). I also liked the contrast of the duck sitting on the green covered rock. And for all that somehow the image lacks 'punch'. Rather than attaching the image here, I have provided a link. For some reason when I reduced the size of the image to be less than 200k, I did not like the resulting image, thus the pointer. Click on the image to view full size.

http://jonsaperia.zenfolio.com/p5444...f5009#h85f5009

[Stan Cunningham]

Gorgeous photo which displays a mood as well. I like the water drop on the wing as well.
If it was me I would clean up the white spots (salt?) that show up so well on the gray. It shouldn't take long in PS if you have it.

[William Malacarne]

Jon

I agree with Stan about the dandruff.... I think you did a good job of keeping the blacks and whites within range. If mine I think I would bring the eye out a little lighter.

Bill

[Jon Saperia]

Thanks for these comments and any to come. Since you both suggested removing the salt/water droplets I have posted another version (also lightened the eye a bit). I think both changes make the image better.

http://jonsaperia.zenfolio.com/p5444...24e71#h7724e71

[John Chardine]

Hi Jon- Regarding the look of your downsampled image, we have seen that if the file you are trying to upload to the BPN server is even a little over 200kb, rather than refuse to upload, it will upload and severely mangle your image and make it really small. When I Save for Web and Devices I always use a target file size of 195kb and then don't have to worry about overshoots.

It would be great to see a bigger version of the image but what I see I like. Love the soft light and pose. Agree with the above comments. I'm always of two minds about "dandruff"- on the one hand it's natural but on the other, in most cases it sure helps the visual appeal if you remove. Nicely done. Must get to Barnegat sometime.

[Jon Saperia]

John,

Thanks for the comments. I have to say that the minor tweaks that were suggested (removal of dandruff and lightening of the eye) greatly improved the version I posted in the second URL. I may have been trying to be a bit 'too natural' I know such edits are permitted here.

Thanks also for the pointer about saving for the Web. I use NX2 and so the way I save for the web is via PhotoMechanic and generally it does a great job. The problem is that there is no slider for the amount of sharpening it will do converting from the raw image to the .jpg. Your choice for sharpening is all or none. I found with this image, I liked neither sharpening choice even when tweaking the original NEF. I think I have three other postings on ETL and all were done with this process, so in this case it is not an issue with the BPN server. I was probably being too critical trying to maintain the detail that is so hard to get right on Harlequins.

RE: Barnegat - I was shooting for only about 3 hours on what Denise and others say was an 'off' day. That off day was better than anything I had ever experienced elsewhere for Harlequins, Purple Sandpipers, Dunlin, Turnstones, and many others. I plan on spending lots of time there next January/February. One warning for anyone in the northeast - do not use the GW bridge to get to NJ. I did and it was a very bad idea - 2 hours to get over it :-(

[denise ippolito]

Jon, It looks like you already got some very good suggestions to improve your already terrific Harlequin image. I'm glad you got some great opportunities for these beautiful ducks when you came down. I took a look at some of your other shots from the day and I think you did fantastic! Looking forward to shooting together again.

[Jon Saperia]

Denise, thanks and thanks to everyone. Amazing what a couple small tweaks will do.
/jon

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Jon, nice image and very well done on the re-do! You were wise to choose Denise's workshop, I'm sure you got some great advice. Excellent color, detail, and tonal range on this one. I had a look at your web site as well and you have some very nice work displayed there. I'm a zenfolio guy too - come on over and take a look.

[Jon Saperia]

Thanks Kerry,

You have so great shots on your site as well. Part of what I like about this form is that I get to see lots of birds that I am not familiar with the are in a variety of different geographic areas.

Thanks again.

/jon

[Kerry Perkins]

Jon, I agree! We get exposed to many species from around the world, which makes this site so much more than just an image critique site. The educational resources available here are second to none. Be sure to check out the "Tutorials and Educational Resources" section. Hope to see lots more of your images here!