American Coot

Gallery: AvianPosted March 4, 2011138 views7 comments

Canon EOS REBEL T2i
EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
2/19/2011 – 3:05:29 PM
1/1000 sec
Manual
f/8
ISO 400
Focal length 250 mm
Handheld
Lake Woodruff NWR, DeLeon Springs, Florida
Raw file processed with PSE9

I have two specific questions about this one, about the shadow under the bill and about the fact that it's so hard to see the eyes even though this is direct eye contact. Your feedback on those questions and anything else would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on March 4, 2011 at 11:16 AM

Nice shot- IMO the exposure job was fine, and the strong sunlight surely helped to show the dark feather details, but there was a harsh light anyway (and you can't do anything with it)- I'd try a more cropped composition with this image, to enhance the details of the subject- Well done, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on March 4, 2011 at 11:42 AM

Fine image of a coot. (We grew up calling the Mud Hens) You can see both eyes, the dof is great, the colors are handled very well and the water on the back is an added plus. The only nit might me to clone out the reflect in the upper right, it is a litter distracting. But that is minor in a fine image.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on March 4, 2011 at 12:01 PM

Barbara, a fine image IMO. Good composition and good exposure, considering the harsh light and the high contrast between the bill ant body of the bird ! I like very much to see both the eyes. I think that a tighter crop is a good suggestion too.
In Italy these Coots are a little different. Sooner or later I'l post some of them.
Mauro

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

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on March 4, 2011 at 2:03 PM

Good shooting, Barbara. I agree with the URC distraction, but thats easy enough to fix.

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

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 4, 2011 at 6:30 PM

You've done a good job exposure and DOF. I agree about the cropping but would like to see a little more space between the bird's reflection and the bottom of the image. You might try a subtle selective lightening of the eyes to get them to draw more attention. Probably need to expand the image to actual pixels to make the eyes big enough to work with. I don't find the shadow of the bill very distracting.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on March 5, 2011 at 10:34 AM

Looks like a good job handing the blacks and whites here. Quite sharp and I think you could crop in a bit more. From the shooting itself, a lower angle will help. Squat, sit or lay flat bellied on the ground.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on March 5, 2011 at 11:38 AM

I would like to see the eyes better, personally. The image is nice and sharp. Your techs on this are great. IMO, it might carry more impact if the eyes were visible (or even a profile with good eye shine)

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments