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Thread: American Bittern

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    Default American Bittern

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Full Frame.
    Shot under cloudy sky at Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island Florida.
    I hear this guy more often than see it back home. I assume you have the same experience.
    Thanks for looking.

    Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
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    Av 7.1
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    ISO 400
    EF500mm f/4L IS USM
    Last edited by Arthur Morris; 03-02-2012 at 06:01 AM.

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    Nice unobstructed capture Karl. The greens in the image seem pretty saturated to me.

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    Karl,
    In a perfect world I would prefer a lower perspective. That being said, this is one outstanding American Bittern image.
    While the bird is in the clear you can still get an idea of where they live and how hard they can be to find.
    The exposure is nice and the overcast sky served you well.

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    Karl, I think you did a great job with this bird. Unfortunately, this bird eluded me on my trip to MINWR last week. Considering where he was located, you did well getting this angle and getting him out in the clear. You have acquired lovely details and your exposure is spot on. Congrats on this one!!
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    nice settings and alert pose, there is a bit lack of separation between the bird and surroundings but overall shows the habitat nicely. details are not great in this one, maybe a big crop or too much NR or compression.
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    Congratulations Karl, it's a terrific image. I don't see how it could be better, and I love seeing the feet. IQ, comp, saturation all excellent.

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    Very nice shot. I really like the pose and the habitat.
    Well done.

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    Thanks, Arash.
    It is full frame as I stated. The active focus square was on the beak, top row very right square. I did not use noise reduction at all. (Mark IV at ISO 400!!!)
    Resized for presentation using "Bicubic sharper". It cannot be any better than that. I mean it is FULL FRAME, Arash.
    I forgot to mention what you might see here.
    Some bird pictures look OOF because the way the feathers are evolved to blend in.
    One exemple is the Long-eared Owl.
    Maybe this is what you see here, Arash.
    Have you got any American Bittern or Long-eared Owl images?
    You can check their feather details. They might look the same on your pictures.
    Last edited by Karl Egressy; 03-02-2012 at 02:28 AM.

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Egressy View Post
    Thanks, Arash.
    It is full frame as I stated. The active focus square was on the beak, top row very right square. I did not use noise reduction at all. (Mark IV at ISO 400!!!)
    Resized for presentation using "Bicubic sharper". It cannot be any better than that. I mean it is FULL FRAME, Arash.
    I forgot to mention what you might see here.
    Some bird pictures look OOF because the way the feathers are evolved to blend in.
    One exemple is the Long-eared Owl.
    Maybe this is what you see here, Arash.
    Have you got any American Bittern or Long-eared Owl images?
    You can check their feather details. They might look the same on your pictures.
    yes I have Karl, not just American bittern but also least bittern and I have good eyes for detail usually It doesn't look OOF but lacking in detail.
    The problem is your processing or heavy compression. Send me the full size JPEG and I will show you what the details should look like, you can decide then.
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    I see what Arash is talking about especially on the wing and body feathers. Love the pose and most of the habitat. The one bright stick near the rear and the one bright red strand above the head are distracting. My biggest problem is that the bird's head is rotated slightly away from the viewer....
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    Thanks, Artie.
    In a perfect world it would have looked towards us but it was busy fishing. I'll try to find an other picture among the over 70 frames that has a good head turn and post it later. I know there are a coulpe front view ones looking out towards us but will see if those are good enough for posting. It cought a tiny fish at one point, I might post one of those.

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    Hi Karl, considering these guys are always tucked deep inside foliage or reeds, you are lucky to have captured a clear view of this guy. Im fine with the angle, but a pity he's not separated more from the BG.

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    Wow, what a fantastic capture, Karl. So rare to get such a clean shot of one! What a great opportunity and you made the most of it. Nicely done.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Egressy View Post
    Thanks, Artie. In a perfect world it would have looked towards us but it was busy fishing. I'll try to find an other picture among the over 70 frames that has a good head turn and post it later. I know there are a coulpe front view ones looking out towards us but will see if those are good enough for posting. It cought a tiny fish at one point, I might post one of those.
    Hey Karl, Having photographed birds for more than 28 years I well understand the ideal world :). I want to clarify one point. This one is a matter of both the the rotation of the head--the center of the bird's chin is farther away from us than the center of the top of its head--and a slight turn of the head away from us.
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    here is the repost!

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    Excellent details and sharpeness.

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