Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: Puffin landing in greens, Machias Seal Island

  1. #1
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Thousand Oaks, CA
    Posts
    202
    Threads
    26
    Thank You Posts

    Default Puffin landing in greens, Machias Seal Island

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Another puffin photo from my Machias Seal Island trip in Maine.
    There weren't that many spots that provides a distant green background with yellow flowers for the puffin landing, as the puffins usually land very quickly on the rocks against the sky background, or the grass was too close to provide a good separation. I wish the light was more direct on the puffin's eye to create a catchlight but well they never land on where I wished, especially when the blind I was in had just that little opening.

    I wonder if portrait or landscape works better. I cropped some space to the right to make it portrait. Please let me know what you think. Thanks! I chose the portrait as there were more yellow flowers in the bottom part of the photo. And I think they look cool.

    1D IV, 500 f4, 1/2500, f8, ISO 500

  2. #2
    BPN Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Dallas, Texas.
    Posts
    6,260
    Threads
    426
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Excellent angle and pose frozen. Light is from above but you've handled it well. Lack of catchlight does not bother me. Very good AF work. very ncie BG as you say.

    Comp-wise, I'd prefer horizontal with more room on the right. That will take the bird away from the center and leave more room in the direction it is looking. If mine, I'd crop from bottom(above your watermark would be a good place). There are lot of yellows around so that crop will not diminish that aspect.

    A round of sharpening on wings and feet will help.

  3. #3
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Rotonda West , FL
    Posts
    3,642
    Threads
    198
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I love this Tin man. I still don't believe these are real as they look so animated to me. I must see one in person.The detail in the wings is great as well as the fanned tail.

  4. #4
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Guelph, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,509
    Threads
    827
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Wow, this is great, Tin. Love the pose and the background looks good too.

  5. #5
    Lifetime Member Jay Gould's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    In the whole wide world!
    Posts
    2,788
    Threads
    332
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I love Puffins!!

    For me, a mask isolating the cutie and then a slight darkening of the background to tone down the lights areas of the background would make the Puffin Pop even more.

    Agree too with the need for some selective sharpening.

    Looking forward to more Puffins.
    Cheers, Jay

    My Digital Art - "Nature Interpreted" - can now be view at http://www.luvntravlnphotography.com

    "Nature Interpreted" - Photography begins with your mind and eyes, and ends with an image representing your vision and your reality of the captured scene; photography exceeds the camera sensor's limitations. Capturing and Processing landscapes and seascapes allows me to express my vision and reality of Nature.

  6. #6
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Millington Md.
    Posts
    2,513
    Threads
    365
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    beautiful shot that really shows off this bird nicely...I vote for a H format with some cropping off the bottom.

  7. #7
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Posts
    2,975
    Threads
    322
    Thank You Posts
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default

    I say you did very well considering you were shooting inside a shoebox! Glad to see all the green and yellow rather than the rocks. Nice detail and agree with feet sharpening.

  8. #8
    BPN Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    3,867
    Threads
    169
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nicely done Tin Man. Love the pose and the specie.
    I like Kaustubh's suggestions on the crop and Jay's suggestion on darkening the bg a bit.
    Lovely image overall. Would love to see this specie some day.

  9. #9
    Nico Steenberg
    Guest

    Default

    Great exposure and in flight pose with good sharpness and bg. Well done !!!

  10. #10
    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia
    Posts
    12,731
    Threads
    910
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Tin Man,
    You were so close to Nova Scotia and you didn't visit!!
    Very nice shot. These guys are so fast I am always impressed with any tack sharp flight shot. I agree about darkening the BG.
    Gail

  11. #11
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Bangalore, Karnataka
    Posts
    3,800
    Threads
    236
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice pose captured, loved the details here..

  12. #12
    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Centurion, South Africa
    Posts
    21,360
    Threads
    1,435
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Good landing posture with the spread wings, together with the HA. Comp wise, I would add to the right, as KD has mentioned, and would take a touch off the top, and a little more off the bottom. Great to see a Puffin against a different BG.

  13. #13
    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    11,879
    Threads
    917
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Small issues aside, I'd be pretty pleased to have this one in my files! I do like the idea of placing the bird higher in the frame and adding a bit of canvas on the right.
    Upcoming Workshops: Bosque del Apache 2019, Ecuador 2020 (details coming soon)
    Website -
    Facebook - 500px

  14. #14
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Rocky Mountains
    Posts
    761
    Threads
    49
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Tin, congrats on a fine image! I personally would crop as others have suggested, landscape. Personal opinion, but I don't think the yellow flowers that you kept in the bottom of the photo are as awesome as the subject itself so I would crop more and tone the BG down as suggested by Jay. Beautiful shot.

  15. #15
    DanWalters
    Guest

    Default

    Great flight shot. LIke the greens in the background.

  16. #16
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Parsonsfield, Maine
    Posts
    2,183
    Threads
    199
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice background and great wing spread. You might ry to darken the black levels some to bring up the colors. A nice change with the green bg. i have been to Machias Seal Island many times. Yes it is like a shoe box! Good capture.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics