Willet in Flight

[Cathy McEntee]

This was taken recently on an island with a lot of nesting going on. Despite not getting close to the nesting area, I was being warned not to come any closer

Nikon D7000, Nikon 300mm 2.8 with 1.7 tc
ISO 500, f8, 1/1600
HH

PP LR3, levels & sharpening in CS5

C&C much appreciated.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Cathy,

BIF are challenging and always open to plenty of feedback. For example, the image might be stronger if the head did not intersect with the wing and it might be a bit tight - let's see what others say. Great job controlling the whites did you meter off the sky or make adjustments to the histogram. This is a hard image to meter, the white spots must be controlled, I bet you have data in all stops on the histogram. Might be an opportunity to use a wider aperture for a faster shutter speed,,,when the subject is flying - mature panning technique and a quick shutter are always helpful. On balance, well done especially given the degree of difficulty.

What was your shooting mode and assume center sensor on the breast/neck area?

[Bob Miller]

Cathy....i think you did a superb job with the exposure and you have very good sharpness.The beak intersecting the wing does not bother me at all! Very Nice work! Hope to see mor eof your work!

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Cathy, very nice capture - you were definitely getting the brush-off! The best BIF shots will have the wings fully (or at least almost so) up or fully down. The double advantage of those poses is that the wings are more completely displayed and you avoid the issue of the head intersecting the wing, which does detract from the image as it also makes the bill hard to see. You did a good job of exposure, however the red channel is blown (255) in the highlights. Your same settings with the exception of lowering the ISO to 400 would have prevented this. I agree that the bird feel tight in the frame, I would give it some more room. Super job of getting a nice sharp flight shot! Keep them coming!

[Cathy McEntee]

Thanks Jeff, Bob and Kerry for your kind and constructive comments--will definitely put them to use!