Theme - Common Merganser Takeoff

[Roger Williams]

Captured this Common Merganser taking off early in the morning on a below zero day on the Upper Mississippi River near Monticello, MN. Birds congregate here all winter long due to the warm water discharge from an upstream nuclear power plant. The mix of warm water and frigid air creates a dense fog on the River during early morning hours, hence the foggy appearance in the image.

Cannon 7D, Cannon 300mm f.4L IS, 1/2000 @ f/6.3 - 1/3, ISO 400, hand-held.

[Gary Esman]

Love this! My favorite time of the day to shoot is this. Shot communicates it well. Only thing I might do is make it a little lower in the frame. Like the action, light and nice and sharp. Well done.

Gary.

[Randy Stout]

Roger:

I really like this image, great timing, pose with wings up and foot above the water. I know that the fog is an integral part of the image, but thought I would give a go at helping the bird stand out a bit more distinctly without effecting the fog on the water. I have over done it slightly so it will show on the web. This may not be to your vision of the image, but present it as an option.

Blend mode on overlay, 54% , masked so only the merganser was effected.

Look forward to more.

Cheers

Randy

[Dan Busby]

Roger - I think the repost pumps it up a bit to make the bird come out a bit more. I might try a mild NR on only the BKGR to reduce the slight grainy look.

[Roger Williams]

Thanks to all for the comments. Randy, while I appreciate your intent, I prefer the original post. This bird was shot through a veil of fog, and that's the feeling I wish to convey to the viewer. I'd rather not have it "pop", as tho it were shot under clear weather conditions. Regarding the NR suggestion, I think that the grain in the background is due (at least in part) to the early morning sun's reflection off the water droplets in the fog. May be wrong about this, but that's my feeling.

[Randy Stout]

Roger:

You are the artist and I respect your vision for the image. Hope to see more in the near future.

Cheers

Randy

[Arthur Morris]

Something a bit brighter than the original post would work for me, possibly with head opened up just a bit. A difficult chore at best. Spectacular pose and SH.