Western Sandpipers + repost

Gallery: AvianPosted March 3, 2012139 views8 comments

I haven't clicked the shutter in the direction of a bird since the end of summer. But cleaning up files yields something interesting every once in a while. This was taken last spring during the Cordova shorebird festival. It is fairly heavily cropped. About 30 percent of the original pixels.

Nikon D7000, 200-400VR w/1.4x TC
1/1000s f/5.6 at 550.0mm iso1600

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Carlette Bragg on March 4, 2012 at 7:56 AM

Hi Dan, I do like the shot. Just wished that you would have been able to have the next 3 birds behind the front one in focus also.

Registered on March 19, 2009, 76 Posts, 387 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on March 4, 2012 at 11:35 AM

Nice low angle and the colors look great. I'd add a little to the left and crop the right if you can.

Ray

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on March 4, 2012 at 4:37 PM

The reflections make the shot for me. I, too, wish the next three birds back were in focus.

I'll be down at Cordova this spring. I hope I can do this well.

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

Comment posted by May Haga on March 4, 2012 at 6:13 PM

I like this a lot Dan.
May

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

Comment posted by Dan Roberts on March 4, 2012 at 7:34 PM

Thanks for the comments, folks. As soon as I posted this and took another look at it I wished I had cropped a bit more from the right side. Couldn't go farther left due to a bird butt in that direction. Regarding the birds not in focus, that's the reason this one was in the cull file. They're not sharp but not blurred enough either. But after looking at it a bit I liked the angle of the line of birds across the frame so thought I'd give it a try. Plus the reflections were nice... Thanks for the feedback. I'll recrop and post that version.

Registered on March 9, 2011, 69 Posts, 501 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Roberts on March 4, 2012 at 7:58 PM

Reposted version cropped as suggested. Also cloned out a couple of bright spots and altered the sharpening.

Registered on March 9, 2011, 69 Posts, 501 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 4, 2012 at 8:45 PM

Dan, I think that for me the shot would work a lot better if the in focus bird were angled more toward the viewer. the oof-ness of the other birds does not bother me, and I like the comp (both ways) as well as the setting and reflections.

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

Comment posted by Bill Kleinfelder on March 6, 2012 at 6:29 AM

I like it. The low angle and DOF are great!

Registered on September 6, 2011, 14 Posts, 71 Comments