|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
David, I love the lines and flow of this. Wonderful abstract landscape.
I do like a really contrasty b&w so I just tried a simple tweak- bringing in the levels slider on both the black and white sides. I'll check back to see what you do with Larry's suggestion. |
Jan 20th |
 |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Bud, nice sequence of the pursuit, catching both birds in good poses and sharp. I like the poses in both of the shots, but like the background better in the one you submitted because the birds don't intersect the white line as much. Good idea to extend the canvas, it really helps. Clone out that one spot Larry noted and this is quite lovely. |
Jan 20th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Simple, clean and elegant. The colors of the bird are striking against the water background. The movement is really nice, not just in the bird but in the diagonal of the reed. Beautiful image.
Sorry to hear these birds aren't tolerating the changes in habitat from the hurricanes. They are such a cool thing to see there. |
Jan 20th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Michael, you got a nice moment of action with the cranes leaping like this. I didn't have much luck with this kind of shot in New Mexico as I just couldn't find separation in the masses of birds.
I'm also using a Z8 with the 600mm f/6.3 lens so I'm going to make input based on my experience with that setup. It does incredibly well with focus in good light, but I've found it struggles to acquire focus quickly when the light level is low. I have a much lower "keeper" rate in these conditions. My "solution" is to shoot in bursts and keep shooting as long as I have the subject, just going for percentages!
I am using 3D tracking AF mode, with bird detect selected, as my primary AF for birds. When it fails to work (meaning find and stay on the bird), I switch to a single point mode.
I'm going to be contrary here, I'm hand holding this setup with very good results even at fairly slow shutter speeds. The stabilizing technology is incredible. I'm not sure a tripod would've really made a difference here because I think it's the speed of focus acquisition that's the problem. My 2 cents....
|
Jan 7th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Hi David, glad to be an inspiration :)
I spent a couple of days in the area so had a lot of opportunities with these birds. I have a tendency to get "stuck" on a single type of picture so to combat this I try to be purposeful about varying what I shoot.
All that to say- I did shots of individual birds and groups of birds as well. I posted a single crane flying in the bird group 91. |
Jan 7th |
4 comments - 1 reply for Group 67
|
| 91 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Nice pose captured, the wings out and toes dragging give a lot of action. The fish completes the story.
I think you could reduce the overall exposure by 0.1 or 0.2, or perhaps just the highlights. White birds in bright sun are tough to get detail and you did well.
This bird is a Snowy Egret- dark bill and "golden slippers". Great Egrets have yellow bill and black legs. :) |
Jan 20th |
| 91 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
I'm impressed that you were able to get it sharp at such a slow shutter speed!
What a pretty setting for this bird, with the fall leaves behind it. I like its pose with the tail to the side so that we can appreciate how long it is.
Have you played with the white balance on this? It's very cool colors, being in the shade, which makes a quiet mood. If you warm it up (i.e. shade WB) it'll make those fall leaves pop more- and change the mood of the image to a bit more vibrant one.
I do like Jerry's crop, but I also like your original. The fence makes "stepping stones" from the lower left up to the bird, as well as having more of that fall color influencing the image.
Very nice image! |
Jan 20th |
| 91 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Quite a lot of drama going on here- as often happens with Snowies. They can be such fun to photograph interacting.
Nice work on your edits to make the most of the capture. |
Jan 20th |
| 91 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Bruce,
Great pose captured and nice light on the bird. I like the framing with the corn so that this tells a bit more of the story than just a bird in the sky.
I think Jerry's suggestion for a small crop from the left is good- it would put the bird a bit more off-center and minimize the dark tree in that corner. I'd take off maybe 1/3 - 1/2 of that tree.
I went to Willcox and photographed cranes again this weekend- we had some good light and wind combinations to work with. |
Jan 20th |
| 91 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks Bruce, bummer that you had the foot problem on your trip. I don't have another shot I kept from this sequence, and this was my favorite with the open wings- most of them have more shadow. Lots with the wings up pose! |
Jan 7th |
 |
4 comments - 1 reply for Group 91
|
8 comments - 2 replies Total
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