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Thread: Red-throated Loon

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    Default Red-throated Loon

    Here is another loon image from my trip to Alaska. I spent a long time approaching them
    and after a while they got used to me and got relatively close, so I made a few head shots.
    On this one you can see the reflection of the landscape in the eye.

    This is approx a 70% crop of FF. The light was constantly changing so the camera settings are
    a bit messed up. I should have used a smaller aperture...well, next time...

    Name:  B07H8914-Edit.jpg
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    Red-throated Loon - Gavia stellata
    Canon 1D Mark IV, 500L, 1/1600s, f/7.1, ISO 800, manual exposure

    Critique and comments are very welcome.

    Thanks for looking,
    --
    Luis

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    wow..excellen image what a lovely landscape in the eye..superb..

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    Excellent portrait. Great detail and love the eye. Well done.

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    very nice head-shot Luis!
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    Ofer Levy
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    This is superb! I see no problem with the settings - you got enough dof IMHO.

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    ArneBivrin
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    Superb head shot with the landscape in the eye. The settings seem OK to me.

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    The settings look fine to me too. Excellent portrait. I wouldn't mind a bit more room top and left for a tradtional 3:2 ratio, and I would black the pupil more (but killer reflection in the eye!)

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    A great portrait Luis. One question: is the horizontal line across his eye his nictitating membrane?
    Andrew

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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Merwin View Post
    A great portrait Luis. One question: is the horizontal line across his eye his nictitating membrane?
    That's a good question. Initially I thought that, until I noticed that every shot had it, which was very odd.
    Now, if you look at this 100% crop you will notice that the line is broken and shows the hills around Nome.
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    Thank you all for the comments.

    My problem with the aperture is that the area on the back of the neck is OOF.
    That striped green/white pattern is also very nice and hard to get on the normal views.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Luis Villablanca View Post
    That's a good question. Initially I thought that, until I noticed that every shot had it, which was very odd.
    Now, if you look at this 100% crop you will notice that the line is broken and shows the hills around Nome.
    Luis, that is very interesting. Are you saying that the horizontal line is a reflection of the horizon in the loon's eye?
    Andrew

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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Merwin View Post
    Luis, that is very interesting. Are you saying that the horizontal line is a reflection of the horizon in the loon's eye?
    Andrew, that's exactly it. The nictitating membrane should be a straight line and what I'm seeing here is a reflection of the hills behind me.
    Also, I think the nictitating membrane should show as a vertical line. I think I have one image from that session where it appears together with the horizon line.
    Last edited by Luis Villablanca; 08-26-2011 at 11:35 AM.

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luis Villablanca View Post
    Thank you all for the comments.

    My problem with the aperture is that the area on the back of the neck is OOF.
    That striped green/white pattern is also very nice and hard to get on the normal views.
    I understand your concern with the aperture and do see the OOF you mention, but I have zero issues with it in your image. The eye and the face are what captivates me.

    IAC, next time you have a cooperative subject you will remember to fiddle and experiment with settings, won't you!

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    Thanks Luis. This is the first time I have seen a horizon reflection in an eye. As I said; very interesting what we capture with our cameras.
    Andrew

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Absolutely no tech issues at all for me with this gorgeous head shot. Nicely done! But as Daniel suggested, it's a good idea to try different camera settings with a cooperative subject. I might have dropped the ISO a little.
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    Pretty cool, Luis. Loved the BG and the eye draws the viewer in. perfect exp. and sharp where it should be. Well done.

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