Avocets In Memoriam

[Peter Kes]

Last week I spent a week on the island of Texel, the largest of the Dutch Northsea Islands. The island hosts many great colonies of birds. One of the resident bird populations are the avocets, breeding in close vicinity of these colonies. Although the parents are very protective, chasing any gull getting too close, losses are unavoidable. On Monday I counted at least 10 chicks running around the mud flats, Wednesday none were left. These 2 didn't make it either. Cropped for composition, levels and curves.
In memoriam.

Details:

Make	Canon	Model	Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Aperture Value	f/8	Color Space	sRGB
Subject distance	15m	Exposure Program	Manual
Flash	-1 EV	Focal Length	1120 mm
ISO	800	Metering Mode	Multi-Segment
Shutter Speed Value	1/1250 sec	Date/Time	Tue 01 Jun 2010 09:40:37 AM CEST

[Bert De Tilly]

Wow, really beautiful love the atmosphere excellent dof

[arash_hazeghi]

nice documentary shot, like the low angle and high key exposure.

[denise ippolito]

Cute as a button Peter, Sad to hear they didn't make it. I like the high key look and the positioning of both in the frame.

[subhrashis]

This is how things happen in nature, but still sad to hear it....
This image fits in with the theme wonderfully.

This one made me sit still for a long time.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Beautiful image Peter. Perfect DOF and exposure. I would only add some room at bottom for the head's reflection being close to the edge.

[Peter Kes]

thanks all for your kind words and comments.

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Peter,

Super high key and overall mood - parallel in the background makes for a great composition. Sad to hear they didn't make it - really very fond of Avocets, hope to see some chicks this weekend.

Regards,
Gerald

[Phil Ertel]

Hi Peter,

This is delightful in my opinion. The bird in the foreground is nice and sharp and the one in the background has just enough detail. Angle of capture, reflections, and rings in the water all add positives to the image. I do agree with Daniel that the reflection is a bit close to the edge of the frame for my taste. With this image it would be an easy fix in photoshop and might be worth the time to compare. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on a lovely image.

[Peter Kes]

... With this image it would be an easy fix in photoshop and might be worth the time to compare....

Thanks Phil,

I had a bit of room left from the original crop.
Here a little more room.

[Tony Whitehead]

Sad story but a lovely image, Peter. I like the complementary poses, high key and water.

[Troy Lim]

Peter, a great way to honor them.
Repost looks like it has too much room. I would do in between the first and the repost.

[Charlie VanTassel]

A beauty, Peter. Nice to see some birds from the home of my ancestors.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Repost is just perfect for me!