Stretch

Gallery: AvianPosted December 2, 200972 views11 comments

Here's another St. Augustine Alligator Farm shot that I found in my laptop. These birds are truly beautiful when in breeding plumage. Maybe I'll take a day out there again next year.

Camera: Nikon F100
Lens: Tokina 400 F5.6
Aperture: F5.6

Thanks to all who have given their honest and humble critiques.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 2, 2009 at 9:27 PM

Never get tired of these birds.... looks more like a scratch then a stretch. Did you use a fill flash on this? The lighting looks a little odd

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Neff on December 2, 2009 at 10:10 PM

You're right Luke; I did use fill flash [-1.7 compensation I think]. It was overcast that day and as I recall I also used a flash extender to get this lighting effect.

Registered on December 11, 2003, 10 Posts, 35 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 2, 2009 at 10:29 PM

Beautiful, Steve. I like the subtle shading in the whites and the foliage in the foreground. It's hard to be sure on this laptop, but it looks as if you might be able to bring the whites up just a little bit more without blowing out the highlights.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on December 2, 2009 at 10:45 PM

Beautiful bird, great lighting, nice composition... excellent all around. What is the best time of year to catch the egrets and herons in breeding plummage? February?

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Twaddell on December 2, 2009 at 10:51 PM

I really like the subtle soft light in this one. Very nice!

Registered on August 16, 2007, 199 Posts, 2132 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on December 2, 2009 at 11:00 PM

Beautiful image, Steve. I like both the beautifully exposed bird and the composition. For some reason, it reminds me of a lovely old realistic painting. I think it's the lighting that does it. Anyway, very fine image.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Ákos Lumnitzer on December 3, 2009 at 4:17 PM

Great to see a film image for a change.

Beautiful exposure and great pose. Lots of fine detail and you brought it all together wonderfully!

Registered on April 24, 2004, 25 Posts, 510 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 3, 2009 at 7:43 PM

Steve, the setting and pose of the bird are wonderful and I like this image quite a lot as posted.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Neff on December 3, 2009 at 11:20 PM

Thanks folks for your kind words. There are a lot of opportunities to get these kinds of photos at the gator farm.

Patricia, I'm thinking that a good time to go is between February-April. By the time you get to June [I think], the babies have pretty much grown up. It's been a while since I've been there.

Check out, say Author Morris' website [birdsasart.com] as he has a workshop there every year. Authur is one of the best at knowing what time to be there.

Thanks again to everyone; your encouragement means a lot.

Registered on December 11, 2003, 10 Posts, 35 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on December 4, 2009 at 8:49 AM

Steve:
The shot is unusual because the texture of the plumage is so visible. That's tough to do with the great egrets. I really like the lighting on the plans below the bird too.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on December 4, 2009 at 9:37 AM

very nice texture in the plumage, interesting pose, and I like the foreground as well. nice shot.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments