Sandhill Cranes #1

Gallery: AvianPosted April 2, 2012164 views8 comments

We stopped in Kearney Nebraska for a couple of days two weeks ago and did a morning blind tour at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary (well worth the $25/each). This was about the earliest image that I considered worthwhile and it's probably too dull and crowded for a lot of people, but for me it captured the feel of the foggy morning and somewhat conveys the multitude of cranes present.

1DIV, 500mm f4 IS, Black Widow on RRS legs, f5.6, 1/1250, iso 1600, heavy fog. Fairly normal processing in CS5, though I did pull in both sliders on the exposure adjustment to get a little more contrast. I was trying to keep the sense of fog but still get enough detail for interest-don't know if I succeeded. Noise reduction using Neat Image. This is full frame.

I always appreciate your comments and criticisms.

Thanks for looking,

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Sally Wood on April 2, 2012 at 8:14 PM

Very nice, does create a mood.... and t have cought the full wing spread too, nice..

Registered on March 8, 2012, 39 Posts, 509 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on April 2, 2012 at 10:26 PM

Nice image. This really captures the feeling of the Plate River as the sun is just starting to lighten things. I like this a lot. We may have both been at the Rowe Sanctuary at the same time. I was there about two weeks ago also. Great experience.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 2, 2012 at 10:30 PM

I agree that you have managed to convey the feel of the foggy morning and dense aggregation of cranes at the pond. The center crane with spread wings is an important focal point for my eye. I noticed the body of the crane at center lower edge is a bit prominent, maybe lightening the body would make it less prominent.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on April 2, 2012 at 10:45 PM

Certainly captures the multitude, great atmosphere. Excellent pose of the central crane,

Ray

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

Comment posted by Marsel van Oosten on April 3, 2012 at 6:09 AM

I guess separation between shapes is a bit too much to ask in a place like this, but I like the mood here and the row of oof cranes in the bg. And a nice example of how the main subject can become a main subject just by behaving differently than all the others.

Registered on March 9, 2004, 285 Posts, 2277 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on April 3, 2012 at 7:50 AM

You've captured the foggy morning atmosphere/mood nicely, love the subjects pose too.
I've never seen a "multitude" of cranes in one spot like this myself, maybe one day I can experience it.
Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on April 3, 2012 at 10:03 AM

I really like the overall feel of this image with the light and the one crane different from all the others.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 4, 2012 at 3:10 PM

I like the mood of this, Dennis. cool pose by the main subject, a nice early morning feel, and I like the distant row of bg cranes. I'd consider a crop that placed it a little further left in the frame, but just to see how that looked too.

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