Nikon D3s, Nikkor 600mm, 1.4TC, 9f, 1/1250, iso 400, partly cloudy with sun at the time of capture, mid AM. This image was captured the same morning in early Sept.as the spotted sandpiper submitted in ETL a few days ago. The whites on the wings are hot but Photoshop says they are not totally blown. Used burn at low opacity to tone down whites and dodge to open up shadows. Noise reduction on bg. Toned down a harsh busy bg. This is one of those images I could not get rid of. The bird flew right over my head. C & C appreciated.
Greetings. Interesting coloration on the head... wish to see it more from the side. Whites may not be technically blown, but looks blown particularly on the left side. I think higher iso for a faster ss & some -EV might work better here.
I have been there many times and try to carry two kits in the field. On with the 500MM and one with the 70-200, still miss a lot of shots anyway. I like unique composition and originality, you offer a different perspective. Wish it were sharper but not bad for all that focal length. Given the body shadow, bright whites, soft areas this shot is not framed strong enough for me. I know it was a fly-up picture, let's see what others say.
Hi Gary: I am fine with the composition and crop here. If wings are to be clipped then clip significantly like you have here. The image has potential to be great but suffers from softeness. This could be caused by motion blur (camera or subject or both), focus (AFC not keeping track of the bird), or perhaps a heavy crop. There is not much you can do about this.
Thanks to all for your critiques. This is an images I became attached to. Having somthing this big fly right at you and pass a matter of feet over your head is a trip. I tried for something out of the ordinary with the crop and perspective. This aside, I agree the image fails technically.
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
