This loon was imaged last month in northern Michigan. Quite a dark day. I was struck by the shapes and symmetry here.
D700 600VR f/5.6 TC 1.4 ISO 500 1/1000 Mounted on pedestal in bottom of my little boat, Loonie TOO.
Post: This image was properly exposed for the whites, but this left the remainder two stops underexposed. Controlling the whites on loons is always a challenge, and I was exposed for the full breast showing, when this bird swam into my area. It was so dark I almost deleted it, but trusted the good ISO performance of the D700, and was able to pull out a decent result I think
Selective sharpening, mild water clean up, full frame. Did run noise reduction on water. No saturation changes
Advice and comments always appreciated.
Cheers
Randy
Last edited by Randy Stout; 08-13-2011 at 06:45 PM.
Great concept but there are some issues for my eyes that make it not quite work.
I love the water color but for this image to work you needed two things IMHO....perfectly flat water, perfect reflection in flat water and a bit more of a head turn.
The whites look a bit bright, the sort of decayed looking little yellow perch (I think) is a distraction and the reverse water drop in the reflection is too bright or perhaps it's because it's sort of doubled with the uneven water?
beautiful image Randy. Loons are always difficult to photograph while protecting the whites. You did a very good job here. The colors in the water are very pleasing. The sun angle is probably what could help improve the shot. The bird back seems a little too bright and the catchlight in the eye is reaching the pupil. These are small details on an overall great image.
I agree with some of Jim's points, the HA does need to be more "at you" with this type of a shot. I can't complain too much about it though, I have yet to photograph a "loon" from my boat. Congrats on getting so close at 600mm with the 1.4x you must of been pretty close for this to be a full frame shot. I'm liking the comp, and you didn't a good job showing detail in the blacks without over doing the whites.
I think this is going to be a matter of tastes here Randy. I love the blacks, the green water and water drops on the head. Reflection is a nice touch. Crop is OK.
Colour and glow on the water is a knock out for me. Some good points raised above but still a lovely photo. I agree with your comment about the lines and shapes.
Randy, on my screen, you seem to have nailed the exposure, especially the blacks. Cool low angle, and we cant always get clear flat water, so Im fine with the reflection. The fish and droplets on the head add interest.
I like the water color and the ripples around the neck. But for me the comp and crop doesn't feel right, there is too much empty space on the left. The whites on the back and back of neck look very bright to my eye. The blacks under the chin and beak are too dark and have no detail whatsoever. Good detail on the Loon!
Thanks everyone for the comments and thoughtful observations. I really liked the shapes/masses in this image from a comp. point and perhaps let that influence my evaluation of the technical issues. However, I do still like it and will go back and touch up some of the areas mentioned, such as the overly bright drip on the reflection and hit the whites again. None are over 255 as presented, but I will tone them down a bit more.