Black-necked Stilt

Gallery: AvianPosted September 28, 2009131 views12 comments

D300, 500mm f/4 VR, handheld
ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/1250 sec
Sept. 11, 2009 - Southwest Louisiana
Cropped to about 50% of full frame. The shot was taken in light drizzle and noise was reduced, but not eliminated, using Noise Ninja. Exposure, saturation, and sharpening applied separately to the bird and background using PS3.
Comments and suggestions most welcome.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on September 28, 2009 at 8:46 PM

Super amazing! Just love it

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

Comment posted by Kenneth Arni on September 29, 2009 at 7:02 AM

Beautiful David, great choice of DOF, the whole bird in focus and sharp, pops out at me.

Registered on December 24, 2008, 112 Posts, 629 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on September 29, 2009 at 9:50 AM

Great detail and action, and the colors pop!

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

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on September 29, 2009 at 11:24 AM

Nice leg extension. Love the raindrops.

Can you shift the crop somewhat so the bird is a bit farther to the right in the frame?

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on September 29, 2009 at 4:18 PM

Richard wrote:
Can you shift the crop somewhat so the bird is a bit farther to the right in the frame?
Answer: Yes, and this is a good lesson. I cropped and then did the noise reduction. If I had done the noise reduction and then cropped, I would not need to do the noise reduction again to change the crop.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on September 29, 2009 at 10:57 PM

Very three dimensional, David. Your post processing helped overcome the tough conditions beautifully. I also like the placement of the legs here. Without knowing the direction of movement it almost looks like this bird is about to sit in the water! It gives the image added interest. Fine job.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Graham Brown on September 30, 2009 at 4:26 AM

Excellent capture, you've got the exposure spot on to freeze the movement in obviously poor light conditions. The bird is really sharp throughout considering you used F5.6. Love these habitat shots and i agree this would be even better if the bird was more to the right actually coming into the image. Graham

Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on September 30, 2009 at 2:08 PM

Yes, and this is a good lesson. I cropped and then did the noise reduction. If I had done the noise reduction and then cropped, I would not need to do the noise reduction again to change the crop.

I almost always work on the uncropped image, then crop only after I've flattened the psd file. That gives maximum flexibility to recompose in case I change my mind or I get a request from someone for the full frame version. I know most of the books suggest cropping early (some even in ACR) to limit the amount of touchup work you need to do, but that violates the nondestructive approach I try to follow in post processing.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on September 30, 2009 at 6:19 PM

Sweet shot, David! I love the long legs of these birds. Well done with ISO 800 in limited, but very nice light. Seems that it could use a hair of CW rotation considering the reflections of the grasses, but the quality of light and color are excellent. Look forward to seeing more from your recent trip.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on October 1, 2009 at 9:25 AM

I absolutely love the landing posture you captured here with those extended legs Dave. Interesting to see the more subdued blacks in this plumage - guess I've never noticed that before.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on October 1, 2009 at 11:55 AM

Dave,

Love the great landing pose exhibited in this image, those out stretched feet really tickle my fancy. The setting is just out of focus enough for my tastes to show the habitat without making it overwhelm the subtle colors you captured in the bird. I also like the flying water droplets.

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

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on October 3, 2009 at 4:38 AM

Great stuff David - love the definition in the wings. I'd possibly think of having a little more room in front of the bird or remove some behind it.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments