Black-necked Stilt

Gallery: AvianPosted July 20, 201054 views12 comments

D300, 500mm f/4 + 1.7x tc
ISO 640, 1/1250 sec at f/7.1
Photo taken April 29, 2010 at the Rockefeller NWR near Cameron, LA.
Full frame portrait. Light sharpening and other minor adjustments using LR2, CS3 and Noise Ninja.
I'm not sure how the camera was supported. I don't remember taking this shot. I do remember the frustration of being too far away to get close-up shots of the Green Heron and Sora that came out of the reeds briefly before and after this shot was taken.
Comments and suggestions most welcome.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on July 20, 2010 at 8:19 PM

Dave considering this wasn't you're primary target I think you did very well in getting such a cool capture. I love the eye, which really stands out in the image. The exposure is excellent and the BG really sets the subject off nicely.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 21, 2010 at 12:51 AM

Nice portrait with fine detail, great whites, and good BG.

Saqndy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Derrick Lipinski on July 21, 2010 at 1:48 AM

A wonderful portrait, David; exposure was handled very well - wonderfully sharp too.

Registered on October 5, 2007, 58 Posts, 2039 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on July 21, 2010 at 8:11 AM

Wonderful detail david - really like the sheen on the wings

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 21, 2010 at 10:06 AM

Beautiful, David. I like the way your framed this portrait, and the light is gorgeous.

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

Comment posted by Ian Mason on July 21, 2010 at 11:14 AM

Larger version is a must - fantastic detail!

Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on July 21, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Wonderful shot in handling a difficult range of contrasting colors and still have good feather detail on the whites, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on July 21, 2010 at 5:38 PM

Very nice portrait, David. I love these birds!
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Darren McKenna on July 21, 2010 at 8:52 PM

Nice portrait with good detail, maybe could go a tad brighter.

darrenmckenna.com

Registered on October 28, 2008, 31 Posts, 214 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on July 21, 2010 at 10:19 PM

Great job on a tough bird to properly expose, David.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on July 22, 2010 at 12:56 AM

Excellent image quality, I like being able to enjoy the subtle hues and feather details. For me these birds are to a large extent about the legs (stilt), so I wonder a little about going with the close up and loosing them. In the context of a series of photos showing the full bird, habitat and this close view it makes complete sense. Fine photo!

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on July 23, 2010 at 1:16 PM

Dave,

I like the nice exposure you have here, this is a difficult bird to expose right because of the whites & blacks and you accomplished it well. Love all the details in the feathers, the great view of the red in the eye and the colors in the background. The feeling I get from this image is intimacy and I like it.

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