American Bittern

Gallery: AvianPosted January 9, 2011107 views12 comments

From the end of December

Nikon D300s 300 f4 + 1.7X TC resting on pillow out of car window
f/6.7
1/1600s
ISO 640

Shot in .Jpeg accidentally. Cropped to 85%, sharpened using Smart Sharpen and USM in CS5 on 27" iMac

- Luke

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Nancy Elwood on January 9, 2011 at 7:52 PM

Luke I like this a lot!! The face is clear so the rest of the environment is fine and shows realistically where they live. I like your composition too!

Registered on January 15, 2010, 101 Posts, 396 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 9, 2011 at 8:11 PM

Good work getting this fellow out in the open; it's not common. The brighter light on the bird heightens the impact of the photo. Terrific detail and a classic pose; well done.

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 9, 2011 at 8:21 PM

Very nice as posted. Great light and setting.

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

Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on January 9, 2011 at 9:48 PM

Looks like the cover of a wildlife magazine to me. I find the grayish haze in the llc and lrc a bit distracting, but nothing signficant. Neat presentation of this species.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 9, 2011 at 10:39 PM

nice, Luke--a bittern in the open is a treat (of course, he thinks those three reeds are hiding him). on the one hand I like the inclusion of the water, on the other, I'd experiment with cropping it to reduce the oof corners. The bird and habitat look great.

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

Comment posted by Randy Bacon on January 9, 2011 at 11:06 PM

Sweet shot Luke, I love the focused light on the face and the detail in the rest of the body. I like the winter habitat, congratulations on getting him out in the open.

Registered on November 24, 2008, 56 Posts, 492 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on January 10, 2011 at 3:27 AM

Very nice shot, Luke. I like how the Bittern emerges from his natural habitat.
Great ight !
Mauro

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 10, 2011 at 6:25 AM

Another great bittern shot - great setting. You might be tempted to play with the reed 'resting' on the bird's head???

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 10, 2011 at 8:26 AM

A fine image of an elusive subject Luke. The blurrred corners are the only nits I see here - the reed on the top of the head adds to the "hiding" behavior for me - especially because of the similar angle with the bird's head (if that makes any sense).

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

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on January 10, 2011 at 11:16 AM

I really like the habitat and overall environment in this one Luke. Amazing how their colors match their surroundings so well.