Florida Sandhill Cranes

Gallery: AvianPosted April 12, 2017224 views8 comments

Viera Wetlands
3/26/2017 – 5:26:51 PM
Canon EOS 7D EF400mm f/5.6L USM
1/500 sec; f/14; ISO 640
Manual; Evaluative metering
LR5, PS6, Topaz DeNoise on background, Topaz Details on legs, Topaz Details to lighten shadows on babies, Smart Sharpen on babies, 49% of full frame

So it turns out that little balls of fuzz can't really be made sharp when they are this fuzzy, and even f/14 isn't enough to make the second little ball of fuzz as sharp as the first one. But I didn't want all the artifacts caused by further sharpening efforts, so I opted to make them less sharp instead of having artifacts from sharpening efforts. So fuzz stays fuzzy. The only thing that really bothers me is the second baby's head.

The next one I'm going to post has just a baby and the baby is a little wet, so less fuzzy and sharper.

This one may be a little artsy for some of you, but I kind of like it because it really shows the size of the parent in a pretty different way.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Marjie Jones on April 12, 2017 at 12:05 PM

I like it! I really like having the parent's legs there. I think that gives an excellent frame of reference for the babies. If I had to pick something to improve, it would probably be to lighten the shadow on the babies some, but I like it the way it is.

Registered on May 5, 2015, 35 Posts, 82 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on April 12, 2017 at 1:15 PM

Barbara: I like the concept as it tells a nice story. The biggest issue is the merge of the chick and the leg (and the rear end of the first chick). These kinds of things are very important to pay attention to. No, you can't always separate them, but in this case I hope you were taking a lot of pictures as they moved and found one without merges.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 12, 2017 at 4:28 PM

Nice, Barbara. Looking at the larger image, both of the youngster's beaks look pretty sharp to me, so I think it's just something about them. They seem to have milky looking eyes, which I think throws you off when evaluating sharpness and the angle of the eye in the second youngster accentuates the effect. I like the way you handled this, though I'm not sure you needed the wider aspect ratio.

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

Comment posted by Barb Pflaum on April 12, 2017 at 8:06 PM

Very nice image, Barbara! I like how this image shows how much smaller the babies are compared to their parents. I agree with you about not sharpening too much. I like to show the softness and fuzziness of the baby birds.

Registered on January 14, 2009, 316 Posts, 2724 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 12, 2017 at 8:20 PM

In terms of composition, Keith pretty much nailed it. In terms of image, you have pretty good focus on the youngsters, A good reference for size in the parent's legs and nice rim lighting. I saw a lot of these down in Melbourne a few years back. They have become urbanized, existing in yards, golf courses and parks. They cross busy streets enfamille. A sad example of urbanization overcoming habitat. cheeky

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on April 13, 2017 at 12:18 AM

Thanks, everyone. Keith, very sadly, they were leaving at the point of that shot, and several of us had been there sitting on the ground a distance away from them for a while, and we left them alone when they left and didn't follow them. So before that shot, they were facing us, and then they turned to walk away, so I only got the one image of them facing that direction. But I'm glad I know to pay attention to that now.

Later on I saw that one of the parents had taken them into vegetation at the edge of the water, and I took some shots there, one of which I'll post next.

Phil, urbanization overcoming habitat is a really terrible thing. It's really hard for me to think about for so many animals and birds. The Florida Sandhill Crane used to be in some other Southern states, but its habitat was eliminated and now it's only in Florida, where it's a State-designated Threatened species. http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/imperiled/profiles/birds/florida-sandhill-crane/

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

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on April 13, 2017 at 2:46 PM

This is a great "story" shot Barbara and you have received some useful feedback. It's a shame about the disappearing habitat problem.

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on April 13, 2017 at 4:29 PM

Major points on the cuteness factor here. I think I would prefer a closer crop and a little more light on the subject. I am less bothered by the beak in the butt but I understand from an aesthetic viewpoint, the need for separation. To me, this is more of a behavioral image.

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