Black-Necked Stilt

Gallery: AvianPosted June 6, 20163,338 views4 comments

I ran across this Stilt foraging for food in a canal. Nearly full frame. I wonder if the vegetation intersecting the tail is to much of a distraction in the image or not. It would be tricky to remove. The light was pretty intense, taken about 4:40 pm.

Thanks for looking, comments & suggestions are always appreciated!
Large image provided for best detail.
Canon 70D
Canon 400mm 5.6
1/3200
f/8.0
Aperture Priority
ISO 800
HH
Processed RAW image with Lightroom 5.7, CS5

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on June 6, 2016 at 7:05 PM

Cool capture, Steve. Those difficult blacks and whites are pretty good, likely the best you could do in the circumstances, with a compromise of slight loss of detail in both. The tiny tidbit of food is very cool.

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

Comment posted by David Schoen on June 7, 2016 at 1:50 PM

I like this. It is an action picture that really displays the behavior of the Stilt in its natural environment. The colors are right on.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 7, 2016 at 7:20 PM

Excellent image of the Stilt, Steve. I spent some time looking at the larger image and my eye stays pretty well on the bird's eye with occasional strays to the body. The plant at the tail doesn't seem to draw my attention at all, so I think you're good there. You did a really nice job of handling the harsh light with excellent iridescence and subtle color variation showing on the back.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by David Rowe on June 8, 2016 at 9:55 AM

The image of the Stilt is good together with the surrounding vegetation. You did an admirable job in catching the typical feeding poise without having to deal with encroaching foliage. The exception is the single vertical plant directed toward the end of the tail. Tricky to remove, certainly but entirely possible with CS5; you would only require sufficient time and patience. Personally I’d remove it to further enhance this excellent take.
David

Registered on December 20, 2013, 133 Posts, 286 Comments