BIF #3 - Spring Snow Goose at Cap Tourmente

[Paul Lagasi]

Four hours from my home is a Wildlife Area known as Cap Tourmente http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/a...a_3152019.html

I love going there in the spring, usually in the month of April.

There can be upwards of 1/2 a million Snow Geese in the area, all heading up north for the summer...they are hunted outside of the Wildlife Area and seem to know they're safe inside the park. You can sometimes get within 20 feet of these birds. I believe I too this image with my 70-200 and D700, it is uncropped. Their were birds flying in, over, by and just standing around.

It is a great place to photograph these great birds upclose in the spring and because they feed along the St. Laurence River their heads are stained, very cool. You need ear plugs when they take off on mass.

Hope you enjoy the image, again processed using Topaz Spicify (carefully removed halo, thanks Dennis), I will do the whole series this way....

[Judy Howle]

Nicely photographed, great wing position. I like the spicify effect.

I'd love to see large flocks of snow geese and have the chance to photograph them up close. Reminds me that I have some fairly close photos of a hybrid snow/Ross goose that was here at the lock and dam for 2 days about 3 yrs ago with some C. geese. We don't get too many in this area of MS.

[denise ippolito]

Paul, Maybe it's my monitor but I am still seeing the halo around the head, and wings. I like what you are doing with the Spicify, it really jazzes up the background. Nice pose BTW!

[Jack Breakfast]

Paul, I also see the halo...
I'm familiar with the Quebec snow geese and saw them last year. A life-changing experience, to be sure...

[Dennis Bishop]

I like the image, but I see the halo, too. If you like it, keep it. If you don't, here's something to try. Make a larger selection around the goose. That usually solves the problem for me. I don't know if content aware picks up parts of the layer one wouldn't expect it to or if it's just too difficult to tell, by eye, where the halo effect actually ends. You've got a very uniform sky, so wide margins in your selection shouldn't compromise the fill.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Paul, that must be quite a sight to see and hear. I love the stained face and the pose.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Paul, nice capture and processing. I too see a bit of a halo around the head. I'll have to check out this place one day.