American Coot

Gallery: AvianPosted February 8, 2012108 views10 comments

American Coot (Fulica americana)

Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: Jan 29, 2012, 8:31 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 plus TC20E III (2x), G 1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 400, aperture priority matrix meter 1/400th @ f/11, -2/3 ev compensation
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, full frame
No bait, no set-up, no clone, no noise reduction

I’d prefer a bit more room around this but I didn’t have my 1.4x with me, so I composed carefully to avoid any visual amputations.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Larger version provided.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Edward Scott on February 8, 2012 at 6:41 PM

Excellent capture! I love the pin point gleam in his eye. Great detail. The larger version really pops, especially around the feet. Not much I could say to improve this one.

Registered on February 8, 2012, 22 Posts, 70 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on February 8, 2012 at 7:53 PM

Real nice. great llok at the eye and nice detail. I could suggest a little room on top but this works well too.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 8, 2012 at 9:15 PM

sweet light, great detail, and I like just about any coot shot that has their feet in it. definitely a little too tight for me--in a situation like this I'd consider taking some higher/lower shots that clip the bird, then experiment with blending the images to give it a little more room (something I've been meaning to try, but haven't yet).

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on February 8, 2012 at 9:49 PM

Nice image. Great detail in the legs and well captured blacks. Lovely light. More room would have been better, but still excellent as is.

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

Comment posted by Mark Schiebelbein on February 8, 2012 at 10:51 PM

Wonderful light and I love those feet. Yes, a bit tight but you did well with the situation.

Registered on November 8, 2008, 55 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on February 9, 2012 at 4:45 PM

Very nice detail in the larger image and I like seeing those crazy feet also. I do not mind it being tight as the IQ makes up for that to me. Nice job of composing this shot, well done.

I was curious if this is a younger Coot or is the morning light/shine just making the body lighter since the head is so dark? When I see light colored Coot's vs dark black ones at Sweetwater I have assumed they were younger but that might not be correct.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on February 10, 2012 at 9:57 PM

Lovely lighting and detail here, a little bit tight as you noted.

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

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on February 11, 2012 at 12:14 AM

Beautiful light and great detail. It's definitely worth viewing the large version. A bit more room would have been nice, but great as is.

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on February 11, 2012 at 3:50 PM

Beautiful portrait, the light and details are excellent.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on February 21, 2012 at 9:18 AM

Very nicely captured Richard. Good feather detail and it is always nice to see those interesting feet.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments