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Thread: No Bears at Hallo Bay...

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Default No Bears at Hallo Bay...

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    So we found small groups of shorebirds along a large creek on the dropping tide. This juvenile Western Sandpiper image was created with the the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. Micro-adjustment went from +10 to -4 after the body was repaired after being dropped. ISO 400. Evluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/9 in Av mode.

    To learn of my long journey from Katmai National Park to my Mom's home in Holbook, Long Island, NY click here. And yes, there is a very nice Mom and cub image there as well.

    Small crop + bill shine elimination and bill clean-up.

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Beautiful light, and terrific water drop. My first reaction was that a lower angle would have improved it; but on second look, that probably would have put the bird into the dark bg and de-emphasized the water drop.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Yes, I was (only) kneeling, to avoid a merge with the far bank.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    I like the way it is framed, with the water background.

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    My first thought before reading anyone's comment was come on Artie get down lower will ya! I'm sure this would help the head angle as well. Lovely colors you captured on that birds feathers on his back.

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Artie:

    A good example of lower is not always better! It is nicely framed against the water from this shooting angle.

    I like the localized contrast on the bird, very distinct, while the rest of the image is softer.

    I might try a version with the bit of bill reflection removed. I don't think it adds and it won't be missed.

    Cheers

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    Amazing colors and sharpness. The drop in the water realy adds to the comp. I have to agree that going lower would have created an issue with the background.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Stout View Post
    I like the localized contrast on the bird, very distinct, while the rest of the image is softer. I might try a version with the bit of bill reflection removed. I don't think it adds and it won't be missed. Cheers
    Randy
    Thanks Randy. In situations like this I usually make a new layer, apply a contrast mask to the whole thing, and then add a Hide-all Mask (as taught to me by Denise Ippolito) and then paint away the bird to reveal the quasi-sharpening..

    Are you talking about the remaining bill shine or the whitish crud at the base of the upper mandible? (I think that you are referring to the former....)
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Artie:

    I was referring to the bill reflection in the water.

    Randy
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    Great image, Artie. I like the composition and how the bird stands out against the background.
    I would try cooling down the colors a little bit and reducing the highlights on the breast.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Stout View Post
    Artie: I was referring to the bill reflection in the water. Randy
    Ah, talk about poor reading comprehension skills. You wrote bill reflection and my mind read bill shine..... IAC, I like the partial bill reflection; if I cropped it out it would upset the compositional balance of the image.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Love the moment Artie, just right before the waterdrop hits the surface.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luis Villablanca View Post
    Great image, Artie. I like the composition and how the bird stands out against the background. I would try cooling down the colors a little bit and reducing the highlights on the breast.
    Thanks Luis, I am fine with the color temp as the light was very nice; I already cooled it down a bit. For the repost I ran a Linear Burn on the brightest whites on the breast. (Note: contrast is increased when you create a JPEG from a TIFF.)
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    The repost looks better on my screen. Thanks for the info about contrast change.

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    Nicely captured. I agree with the others except I think I would have left some of the bill shine. Obviously the bill has just been in the water, but it is completely dry?
    It gives the image a bit too much of a "doctored" look for me.

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Artie, thanks for explaining your reason for not getting any lower. I do like the colours on this fellow, and how the far bank follows the shape of his body.

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    I was just in this (lower angle situation) myself where I was super low and wished I hit my knees for a better reflection and bg on the image I got. So I see your point here. I really like the little water drop and the ripples it created. The parial broken reflection is cool to and great detail.

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    The water drop is killer! I also like the reflection from the tip of the bill. Nice as always Artie!

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    Default Masterful!

    This is why I come here, to see pictures like this. I go from the eye -which grabs me - down the bill to the water drop to the reflection of the bill (nice poetry there!) back to the legs and body to the eye. The blurred browns behind and above the bird emphasize the relationship to the land/water that is the lifeline for this species. The reflection in the foreground, - the bird's own delicate browns, - brings me back to the theme. This shot is full of energy and is a clear statement as well. Beautiful.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Thanks all for stopping by. And special thanks to Dawn for her very kind words :) (I like it a lot too.)
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

    E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.










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