Piping Plover

Gallery: AvianPosted January 30, 2011339 views22 comments

Charadrius melodus

Taken on the Gulf coast of Florida, this piping plover wandered in front of me while it was probing the sand. I like the water squirting up from the right foot, the ruffled feather on the neck and the pretty light.

D200, handheld, laying in the wet sand, f5.6, 1/2000, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light, 51% of the original frame, auto WB, aperture priority. Cropped, slight rotation adjustment, sharpening for web. Larger version provided for better evaluation of sharpness and details.

I know that some people might "clean up" some of the foreground where there are bits & pieces of shells but in general I prefer to leave my images as taken and don't find the off shells distracting, YMMV.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your thoughtful comments & critiques on my images. Thank you for looking.

Comments

22 comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on January 30, 2011 at 11:05 AM

Very nice. I love the windblown feather on the neck and the partially buried beak.

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

Comment posted by Andy Shepherd on January 30, 2011 at 11:26 AM

Hi Mia,

I think the subtle tones of the blues work very well, and make for a great setting. I also like the diagonal pose from the Piping Plover, which really adds to the overall composition. IMO this is a very nicely presented image, top shot.

Andy...

Registered on September 24, 2006, 123 Posts, 1254 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on January 30, 2011 at 1:17 PM

Your usual "crazy" low angle, Mia ! Exquisite image. I like very much it as it is.

Mauro

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

Comment posted by richard remington on January 30, 2011 at 1:45 PM

Mia,

I like the broken shells and stones in the foreground which makes it a natural setting. I like the scene and feel of the shot which still shows great detail on the bird without being cramped in spite of a 50% crop. The beak of the bird is almost completely buried which adds interest as well.

Nice capture!

Rick

Registered on March 12, 2010, 105 Posts, 368 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on January 30, 2011 at 3:11 PM

Mia,
I like the "not ordinary" beak in the sand pose and the background, and being one who likes to see habitat in photos I like the shells. You have much better success with that lense then I ever did. It always seemed to be a struggle for me to get acceptable images with it which is why I got the 200-400 which I know you have also and I think would agree is a great lense.

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 30, 2011 at 3:39 PM

Neat behavioral pose Mia. Love the low angle, the setting (including shells) and the lovely background colors. The out of place neck feather is a nice touch too. Well done!

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on January 30, 2011 at 5:35 PM

Sweet comp and perspective of a great bird. Very Nice Mia!!!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 30, 2011 at 6:08 PM

I like what you like Mia. The low angle is perfect and I love the view across the sand and shells to the bird. The larger image shows so much wonderful detail and the bird is tack sharp. Great light and BG to top it off. Well done for sure. Come to FL and we can go get some more of these.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on January 30, 2011 at 6:45 PM

Great low angle and I like the feeding behavior.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on January 30, 2011 at 7:28 PM

As always a pleasure to view. You could have gotten lower!

Dan

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

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on January 30, 2011 at 9:37 PM

Your images never leave me wanting more...next time could you get the underwater view!

A beauty! I looked at this and almost thought I saw bubbles. Amazing! Sharon

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 31, 2011 at 5:34 AM

Love it Mia. So often shots taken when feeding lose eye contact and a catchlight but this is wonderful.

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 31, 2011 at 8:05 AM

nice feeding pose, great low angle, and perfect comp, Mia. I find the setting just right and wouldn't clone a thing either.

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on January 31, 2011 at 10:15 AM

Excellent view of foraging behaviour. Exposure, pov and crisp presentation are all spot on.

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

Comment posted by Rohn B. McKee on January 31, 2011 at 11:03 AM

Mia
Another great belly crawl image. I love this one. The foreground is critical to this image IMO. After all its about BIOLOGY isn't it. All our wildlife photographs celebrate the animal in it environment succeeding or failing.

Registered on November 18, 2008, 109 Posts, 415 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on January 31, 2011 at 11:38 AM

Mia,
I love the pose with the beak in the sand, the subtle colors and the natural setting too. Brilliantly done.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on January 31, 2011 at 12:40 PM

Your composition here is rather nice, Mia!

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

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on January 31, 2011 at 12:46 PM

I like how the plover stands out from the darker background and the buried beak really makes the image for me, well done.

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

Comment posted by Steve Canuel on January 31, 2011 at 11:47 PM

Must be something good down there! Nice low perspective. Shells should stay, it is the beach after all.

Registered on September 12, 2010, 53 Posts, 660 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on February 1, 2011 at 6:29 AM

I really like both the subject and background. Reminds me that spring is coming. Wonderful capture and subject.

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on February 1, 2011 at 8:14 AM

Lovely work Mia, technically very well done. This held up well at 51% too.
You always seem to get right down there with em' - Hat's off to ya

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on February 4, 2011 at 8:41 AM

Wonderful angle, interesting behavior, perfect techs Mia. My only nit: no sense of motion. This bird looks like it has its beak stuck in the sand. I feel like I should be there to help it! That said, I still like it very much.

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