Nikon D3s, Nikkor 600mm, 1.4TC, f5.6, 1/1600, iso 450, tripod, distance 18.8m, high thin overcast. PP PS CS5, ACR, Dodge and Burn, Ave Blur Color Balance, USM.
I encountered this little guy on the Snake River this weekend. I was concentrating on Common Goldeneyes when this fellow popped up a few meters in front of me. C & C appreciated.
Nice job, Gary. I find these guys extraordinarily challenging as I see them frequently but they always like to sit right beyond lens range for me. That eye is nice and sharp!
I agree with Ian, these guys are always out of range for me and when they dive who knows where they will surface. I like this one, nice composition and expression on the grebe's face. Good detail for all that focal length and a moving subject. Did you use center sensor and focus on the body I see more detail there. Great shooting angle and nice setup, tripods make such a difference just look at the beautiful eye, it is very well lit and clean. I might take a layer off the bottom, just above your signature but that's me. Just curious, how did you sharpen this image, what is your process.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 12-14-2011 at 10:32 PM.
Ian and Jeff, thanks for the look. Relative to range, I had the opposite situation with this guy. I was sitting on the bank of the Snake River trying to get a decent Common Goldeneye image ( another story ). The grebe came feeding upstream along the bank and popped up 4-5 yards in front of me. I had to switch to full focus range in order to get the shot. Relative to sharpening, I follow Artie's Digital Basics PDF. I usually experiment with a contrast mask on the original, starting with USM 15/65/0. I backed off on this one to 10/45/0. After converting the original to a small jpg, I applied USM 0.2/125/0 x 3.
Thanks for the follow-up information. Agree with the DB's processes and also agree with the experimentation statement. Sharpening is an art and the two step process and USM are leading practices IMO - well done.
PIED BILL GREBE
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