Another Gem Found....

[Arthur Morris]

Was going through a folder with 13.000+ images and came across this one. Had never done much with it. Did not know how to use a Quick Mask back then.... (Removed one bird's tail and another bird's shadow. Added canvas top and right.)

Anyone care to ID it? Any guess as to where?

Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens with the 2X TC and the EOS-1D Maark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop:1/500 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. With lots of light and the original 2X TC I stopped down to f/11 for additional sharpness.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

ps: For the whole gems found story (including three gems) check out last night's blog post here.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Western Sandpiper in breeding plumage?
Lovely pose, dof and sharpness. Love the depressinon the foot has made in the soft sand. Excellent details. Very nice IQ with the 2x on the 500. I have to try it someday.
Was the catchlight added?

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Sidharth, You nailed the ID and age; well done! When I owned a 500 (actually 2 of them), I made about 40% of my images with the 2X. Most folks are simply scared of it and do not practice. They are missing a lot of great opps and images. Not sure about the catchlight but when I get to the BAA office at the other end of the house I will take a peek at the original and let you know.... My guess would be yes.

[dankearl]

Beautiful colors and pose.
I wish the tail were in focus.
The detail on the white feathers is really good.
Maybe a bit lower would also have been better.

[Gary Esman]

Liking this a ton. Sharpness, color, exp etc. I really need to practice with my 2x. Excellent Artie!

Gary.

[Tom Rambaut]

Arthur - I was going to get a 2x as I have a nest site that I want to photograph. I have the 500 with a 1.4 ext but it is not enough reach for this site - I cannot get any closer. I have read negative reviews about the 500 + 2x combo. What are the rules for using this combo well. Nice image.

[Robert Holguin]

Wonderful shot. Superb detail, excellent pose, and great exposure. Well done.

[Arthur Morris]

Arthur - I was going to get a 2x as I have a nest site that I want to photograph. I have the 500 with a 1.4 ext but it is not enough reach for this site - I cannot get any closer. I have read negative reviews about the 500 + 2x combo. What are the rules for using this combo well. Nice image.

The rules are simple. Employ top notch sharpness techniques and practice, practice, practice. Advanced sharpness techniques are covered in detail in The Art of Bird Photography II along with a few zillion other important topics--916 pages on CD only. I have had competent folks try the 2X with the 500 at my recommendation and call me in a few days stating, "I cannot make anything sharp." Then two weeks later they call and say, "I got it!" I used it wide open at f/8 plenty and made lots of sharp images without stopping down. There are 900 images in ABP; it would be interesting to see how many were made with either the 500 or the 600 and the 2X. When you are confident that you can make consistently sharp images with those combos down to 1/60 sec. you are where you need to be.

Can't wait for the 500 and 600 f/4L IS II lenses with their four-stop IS

[Arthur Morris]

Beautiful colors and pose. I wish the tail were in focus. The detail on the white feathers is really good. Maybe a bit lower would also have been better.

As for having the tail in focus, click here and scroll down for a good debate on that topic. Maybe getting lower would have been worse? There were birds right in front of my gorgeous subject.

[Daniel Cadieux]

What I love best about this image is the water's edge leading up to the foot and then the seeming dip at the foot. Great colours on this guy!! Perhaps a bit big in the frame, but great view of the plumage.

[Amy Marques]

I LOVE this- the painterly feel is right up my alley! This is probably my favorite of all your images!

[Emily Norman]

This is a real stunner Artie, what a cute bird in such a great pose. I was interested to read your comments re: the 2.0 TC, I've been thinking about getting a 1.7 to go with the 1.4 I already have but had heard all sorts of negative things about IQ on the stronger teleconverters. Now I'm tempted to get it and practice like you suggested (that is if your comments translate into the Nikon world!)

[arash_hazeghi]

A nice pose and I like that the bird is standing right on the water edge.

[Chris Kotze]

Superbly exposed, awesome feather detail and tack sharp. Lovely looking species.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Lovely colors and great exp. Love the pose. I like the waterline adds extra for my taste.

[Grace Scalzo]

This is gorgeous. Fine detail, beautiful colors, relaxed bird. No guess as to "where".

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Artie, great colors and pattern on the wing. Because of the pose, the viewer's eye follows the bird's straight into that pattern. Very nice.

[Arthur Morris]

This is a real stunner Artie, what a cute bird in such a great pose. I was interested to read your comments re: the 2.0 TC, I've been thinking about getting a 1.7 to go with the 1.4 I already have but had heard all sorts of negative things about IQ on the stronger teleconverters. Now I'm tempted to get it and practice like you suggested (that is if your comments translate into the Nikon world!)

I see that you are on the dark side.... For years the Nikon 2X TCEs were not sharp. Period. But the last new one is supposed to be sharp. You might want to go up in steps: see how you do with the 1.7 and go from there. What is your big lens? BTW, thanks.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks all for your kind words and comments. Where was Cordova, AK during the 1st week of May.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

What gorgeous feather detail and color. I like the diagonal shore line alot as well as the visible foot and the pose . I was wondering about the catchlight too. I think I feel a want for just a little more room Top bottom and Left. Just a little. PS , am enjoying the new book.

[denise ippolito]

Artie, You never know what you'll come across if you go looking... A beautiful bird and nice comp. Not loving the catchlight.

[Josh Clark]

Nice shot and spot on details. I'd wish for more of an eye level shot, if possible. I think that would create a different feel for this particular image. Though, not knowing circumstances that if you were lower on the shot that it would add a distracting BG or a lower shot was not possible given environment. All in all though, I like the shot and nice post-production work as well.

[RakeshDhareshwar]

The exposure and the colours are spot on here !! Did you manage one with a lower angle ???

[Arthur Morris]

Was the catchlight added?

Thanks again Sidharth, I did find the original. Apologies for missing the huge catchlight; it must have been one of my earliest efforts. I learned quickly that you need to use a one pixel brush and make the catchlight irregular. Did that for the repost here. As usual you guys helped me make a good image better

[Daniel Cadieux]

Man, that tiny tweak made a world of a difference.

[denise ippolito]

Looks great!!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Thanks again Sidharth, I did find the original. Apologies for missing the huge catchlight; it must have been one of my earliest efforts. I learned quickly that you need to use a one pixel brush and make the catchlight irregular. Did that for the repost here. As usual you guys helped me make a good image better

Thanks Artie. Looks superb. Thanks for the one pixel brush tip.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Huuuge difference I must try it too

[Karl Egressy]

Striking image, Artie.
The plumage of this bird looks amazing as far as colours, sharpness and details go.
The positioning of the catchlight on the repost looks much more natural.

[Arthur Morris]

Striking image, Artie. The plumage of this bird looks amazing as far as colours, sharpness and details go. The positioning of the catchlight on the repost looks much more natural.

Thanks to all in the "looks great/big improvement" club . I placed the catchlight in the center of the naturally-occuring light area at the top of the eye. In retrospect the original post was pretty bad .