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Thread: Caspian Tern

  1. #1
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    Default Caspian Tern

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    EOS-1D Mk IV, 500mm f/4 + 1.4x II, 1/400, f/8, ISO 800
    About 70% of Full Frame

    I just returned from a week of bird photography in Florida with most of my time spent at Viera Wetlands in Melbourne.
    I had the opportunity to photograph 30 species including some new ones for me like this Caspian Tern in winter plumage.
    There was single pair hanging out at the wetlands and they would often roost on the roadway between fishing sessions.
    I don't typically like to photograph birds in the middle of a road but when they landed in this particular spot, I realized that
    by getting down on the ground as low as possible, most of the road surface except for a very thin strip within the
    depth of field would be blurred beyond recognition and the background would be entirely made up of blue sky,
    which would make the road look much like a beach!

    I also had to deal with some fog which was making the images look quite hazy but I was able to cut the haze by boosting
    the Blacks and Clarity sliders in ACR and the Black point slider in Levels in Photoshop.

    Looking forward to your comments and critiques!

  2. #2
    BPN Member jack williamson's Avatar
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    Well done with the angle Mike, looks like sand not asphalt, the bg is very good. The bird is very sharp and exposed well, fog handled well.

    Jack

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    Love the pose and the nice low angle, Mike. Next time it will be my turn.

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    Well done, Mike. the super low angle makes all the difference here. I always love the 'below eye level' perspectives. perfect head turn and composition.

  5. #5
    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    Good job with the road as it does indeed look like the beach! Perfect HA and I just love the BG. The red bill pops nicely. Exposure looks great, but for me the blacks could go deeper.

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    This has Florida written all over it. Great job.

    Gary.

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    Terrific low angle, pose, perfect DOF and eye contact.
    You are right, I wouldn't have realized that it's a road if you hadn't mentioned.
    I tried Shadows and Highlights with values 0 and 5 and I liked the result a lot. If you do try it, I'd be curious to know what you think.

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Mike, your low angle has worked out very well, and you have captured a good pose. Overall, well exposed, and I would add a touch more space on the RHS. Another vote for either adding more blacks, or a touch of contrast.

  9. #9
    Art Kornienko
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    Love the angle, second for deeper blacks.

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