Spoonbill Portrait

Gallery: AvianPosted April 17, 201180 views11 comments

Of all the birds I wanted to see and photograph in Florida, Roseate Spoonbills were at the top of the list. They did not disappoint--they are truly spectacular birds. I was fortunate to have two spend much of the early morning with me at the the little lagoon on Estero Island/Ft Myers Beach. They were generally so close that I took off the 1.4x TC (a rare event!), and even so, I still had a hard time fitting them into the frame. This allowed for some nice portrait opportunities like this.

I appreciate your comments and critiques. Please view the larger version if possible.

Canon 7D, 500mm, no TC(!), monopod

1/1600, f/8, ISO 320

Crop to 75% of original (13.5 of 18MP)

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 17, 2011 at 11:25 PM

Brian - an excellent portrait!
Very nice detail, great eye, and good comp.
The BG blues seems over-saturated to me, but easily lightened so they don't compete with the more subtle and delicate colours of the spoonbill.
Well-done!
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 18, 2011 at 12:47 AM

Stunning portrait and wonderful detail Brian, you must have been delighted having been able to get so close :^)

I actually like the level of saturation in the water; sets the subject off real well IMO.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on April 18, 2011 at 8:02 AM

Great detail and control of exposure here, Brian. I can't say that I find him particularly attractive up this close but a well composed image of a very interesting bird nonetheless.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on April 18, 2011 at 1:41 PM

great portrait, excellent detail, nice view of the eye, good job with the whites.

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 18, 2011 at 2:18 PM

That's some amazing detail, Brian. Looks great against the dark blue water.

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on April 18, 2011 at 4:33 PM

Really great detail Brian. Can't get much better. Nice exposure too. I like spoonbills and think they are neat looking. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on April 19, 2011 at 4:22 PM

Brian,

I like this close up of this young spoonbill (looks like it is going to get adult plumage soon). Lovely light, details, sharpness and sweet natural colors. Roseate Spoonbills are a favorite of mine. I'd suggest pulling down the blues a small amount. I'm glad you didn't clone out the second natural catchlight!

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on April 19, 2011 at 6:07 PM

That's a very cool portrait Brian, nice detail and comp. I love this species as well. I agree on taming the blues a little bit.

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 19, 2011 at 7:55 PM

Those water lines and color add so much to this image IMO. I really like it Brian.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by S Govindarajan on April 19, 2011 at 10:13 PM

Very nice portrait, Brian. Perfect profile, beautiful light and the dark background really makes the bird pop out. The regular image itself is very sharp and larger one really shines. Exposure on the spoonbill is excellent, but I think you can desaturate the background blues a bit. Congrats on getting this.

Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on April 22, 2011 at 5:02 PM

Back from vacation and I almost missed this one, a real beauty, excellent detail on the larger version with wonderful eye contact, way to go Brian.

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