Black-bellied Plover

Gallery: AvianPosted August 7, 201081 views13 comments

Pluvialis squatarola

I laid down in the tidal mud of a lagoon in Florida hoping the plovers would adjust to my presence and move closer to me and they did.

D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, 70% of original image, natural light. Larger version provided for evaluation of sharpness and detail. I have no more space at the bottom due to a small rotation adjustment I made, I should have raised my lens about 1-2 inches but feel that this works for me because of the low angle.

As always; I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques. Thank you for looking.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on August 7, 2010 at 3:26 PM

Looks like all that dedication to obtaining a low angle really pays off, Mia. As usual, a beautiful shot. As posted is fine but it seems a bit dark to me, causing the bird to blend somewhat into the background. Whether or not to try to make the bird contrast more with the background and reveal more detail in the shadowed portion by some exposure adjustment is a matter of personal taste.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on August 7, 2010 at 4:18 PM

Love the DOF on this one, Mia. You've got (essentially) the whole bird sharp despite the angle of the pose, and it feels very three dimensional. The bird seems ready to just pop out of the screen. Slightly tight on the bottom perhaps, but not in a way that I find detracts. Awesome light and low angle too.

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

Comment posted by KC Choo on August 7, 2010 at 4:21 PM

Mia, you certainly have some fabulous "mud" shots giving you the ultimate angles! This is great!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on August 7, 2010 at 8:31 PM

Well worth the stink and the washing Mia. Like the mid-stride capture. Maybe take a fraction off the top to draw attention away from a slight tightness at the bottom??

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on August 7, 2010 at 10:29 PM

Well done getting the bird heading your way Mia, and with a raised foot pose too.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 7, 2010 at 10:37 PM

Wonderful detail, Mia and you always seem to find an elegant pose.

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on August 8, 2010 at 12:55 AM

Interesting diffused lighting, but still has some direction to it! The exposure really made the most of that light. Couldn't be much better!

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on August 8, 2010 at 1:52 AM

As you note, it's a tiny bit tight at the bottom, but that's a minor nit on a terrific photo. Viewed from above, this species can be very hard to see until it moves; the back patterns are cryptic. You've captured a flavor of that, while at the same time getting that sweet light on the belly. Very nice.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on August 8, 2010 at 11:24 AM

Lovely lighting and detail and the the comp is fine imo.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on August 8, 2010 at 2:55 PM

Really nice 3d effect...looks like I'm laying right there with you! Well done. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on August 8, 2010 at 8:41 PM

Very nice Mia! I really like the color phase you have captured in this one!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on August 8, 2010 at 9:23 PM

Excellent Mia, I feel like this plover is going to walk right out of my screen. I love the light on the bird and think your exposure is just right. IQ is great and I like the one foot up pose. At this low angle I don't think it's too tight at bottom. Really nice!

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on August 10, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Lovely light and good angle - another strong image.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments