Dunlins often raise one wing on their breeding grounds for either territorial or courtship reasons, but here it was simply retaining balance after a wave hit it on the side. It did keep the wing up for a good second or so as you can see from the wave having all but dissipated at this point. F/9 was a happy mistake as I had been creating portraits from point-blank range and forgot to open-up again, but it was great to get the whole wing in focus.
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/640s., f/9, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, added canvas above, eye work, toned down the brightest whites on the flanks (burn tool).
Great one-wing-up pose. And I like the bubbles from the receding wave and the touch of green beyond. Although I like the nice bright whites, the image seems just a tad light to my eye. Maybe a touch of mid-tone adjustment?
Nice grab Dan of the wing. I would also suggest popping more color... i like the grass line as well , would like to see a bit more sharpness on the head.
I like the high-key look (seems to be a signature feature for you) and wing raise. The setting almost has a stormy feel to it and invites a second look. Processing is very impressive but wonder if you could have toned down that highlight on the flank just a touch more? Maybe there's detail there but hard to see at this size.