Dark on dark: Centered Tom

Gallery: AvianPosted April 13, 2010153 views7 comments

I know many find turkeys less than beautiful, but when I found this Merriams gobbler showing off in the last light of day against the backdrop of a dark canyon, I couldn't resist some clicks. This is a larger than ideal crop, as I was set up in horizontal format when he suddenly turned to face me directly. This is vertical cropped from horizontal.

The exposure was my attempt to let the darks go dark and get the few sunlit highlighted areas. It is -1.7 ev from matrix meter. There is surprisingly little processing other than a few passes of selective curves to keep the reflections on the body. The background is mostly as seen but with some selective darkening to small brighter areas. I added warming to the foreground to compensate for the misread by my auto WB. Then selective sharpening...

D200, 200-400 @330, iso 125, f8, 1/60

Your suggestions are welcomed.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 13, 2010 at 8:39 PM

This really shows well in the larger image. I like how the tom is coming out of the dark into the light, and the sheen of his feathers. I like his "coming for ya baby" attitude and his sheer bulk. I like the warm tone of the grass; a nice touch there. No nits, Lon!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on April 13, 2010 at 9:38 PM

This really grabs you. The thumb looked very dark but the larger it got the better it looked.The layering of the feathers and the detail in the dark areas make you look deeper into the image.
Obviously -I like it-!

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 13, 2010 at 11:33 PM

Lon, I am not sure why people don't think turkeys are beautiful....I love the colors in these birds. They are also extremely intelligent and entertaining to watch. The are also fast as hell, so not so easy to photograph sometimes. Great job with this one. I really like the beard on this Tom.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on April 14, 2010 at 12:24 AM

This is great, Lon. My first impression was "Killer Turkey" coming out of the darkness. The larger version shows off the detail much better.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 14, 2010 at 12:28 AM

Well done Lon, the centered comp really works as does the low angle. The only asymmetry is the raised foot and that small detail makes the image stronger. Kind of gives some dignity to a bird whose name is often used in disdain.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Terry Sohl on April 14, 2010 at 11:35 AM

Very cool! Love it on the higher-res version, with the feather detail. Nice job on DOF for a head-on shot like this.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 513 Posts, 6889 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 14, 2010 at 11:59 AM

Makes me think, No Fear. I like the head on, low angle pov here. Well done, Lon.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments