Taken last month soon after sunrise in Fort Myers, FL, at small pond. Set ISO at 800 as light was still a bit low. Noise removal definitely was needed on this one, which I did. Boosted contrast and did some sharpening. Cloned out a few spots in the water and toned down the green of the grasses at left front.
All comments and critiques very much appreciated.
Canon 7D
500mm
1/400 sec
f/8.0
ISO 800
Shot from a blind on a Gitzo 3530LS tripod, Wimberley II head.
Wow, beautiful light and elegant pose, Melissa. Nice exposure & detail, love the green & blue around the eye. The curled wet feathers of the head, and the subtle ripple from the tale dip really add to the whole composition. Like how the water just melts into the BG. I agree the green may be a bit distracting. Very nicely done!
I agree with the others great pic, great pose. The green grass kind ruins the otherwise excellent solitude... (makes me think of a Chinese tapestry or something).
I think it's just a touch flat, I would probably do a minor levels adjustment.
Lovely pose and Bkgd
Don't see how you could have avoided the green grass, but do think the image looks better without it. Some more careful work in PS could probably do a better job on the edges
Thanks for sharing
Beautiful preening image...I love the bill-full of feathers. I like the colours and the overall warmth of the light. I agree with the green grass but rather than eliminate it I would simply desaturate a bit. The reason? By getting rid of it you also get rid of the perch showing behind it...making the image bnot look "right", as if the anhinga is only being held up by the tail (BTW I love the dip and ensuing ripples). I would also add a touch more blacks to the blacks.
Thank you for your comments, all. Daniel, you make an excellent point about the perch, doesn't look quite real floating out there by itself! Will desaturate instead. And add more black to the blacks. Thanks a lot.
Preening Anhinga
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