Semipalmated Plover

[Cathy McEntee]

Had a lot of fun on the beach shooting plovers and sandpipers the last couple of days. Problem was they were in siesta mode and I had a hard time getting poses other than those with beaks tucked in behind their heads or only tiny heads popping out of the sand after they'd burrow most of their body in the sand. Anyway, I had more traditional poses, but I loved the inquisitive look in this little one's eye. Looking forward to all C&C.
Nikon D7000, Sigma 150-500 mm @ 500 mm
ISO 320, f8, 1/1600 Minor adjustments in LR

[Sid Garige]

Cathy,

Very nice shooting angle and interesting pose.

Composition wise, I kind of felt there is lttle empty space on the top and also subject little too centered. I cropped of a bit from the top to reduce negative space and also from right to decenter the bird.
Also cloned out bright spots in the background.

Thanks for sharing.

-Sid

[Kerry Perkins]

Cathy, nice capture and exposure - very nicely done. The sky-gazing pose is different and interesting. Sid's repost makes the image much stronger by eliminating the distracting elements in the background and moving the bird more off-center. I really like the low shooting angle.

[Cathy McEntee]

Hi Sid - I appreciate your feedback and love the changes you made. Will pay more attention to background
distractions in the future!

[Chris Korman]

I like the Bird's pose and the level at which you captured the bird. I am not sure I prefer the "cleaner" BG more. Sometimes I feel a background can help provide more context, even if they are heavily OOF.

[Tom Redd]

Kathy, great post, nice pose and Sid's repost takes it up a notch! I like the lower POV. Well done.