Oyster? Catcher

Gallery: AvianPosted April 13, 2018215 views4 comments

Not sure where they got the name for this one, but that doesn't look like any oyster I've seen! Thisis the same bird as the last Black Oystercatcher I posted foraging among the rocks at Asilomar Beach State Park. Given the slope behind the bird, blurring the background by adjusting aperture was pretty much out of hte question, but I thought it was uniform enough not to be too distracting.

7Dii, Sigma 150-600 C @ 600 mm, hand held, f/8, 1/320, iso 4000, aperture priority, pattern metering, -2/3 EV (the pink legs wanted to blow out). Processed in LR & PS CC. Cropped to 13.8 MP. Taken March 10th at 7:30 am.

I'm posting a close crop to show the shell a little better.

Your comments and critiques are always appreciated.

Thanks for taking a look,

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 13, 2018 at 9:03 PM

Here's the close crop. You can click on it for a larger version.

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

Comment posted by Skip Layman on April 13, 2018 at 10:06 PM

That is indeed a very small "oyster"--barely an appetizer. The rock background doesn't bother me as a matter of fact I rather like the realistic look. Well done.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 558 Posts, 1704 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on April 14, 2018 at 6:15 PM

Interesting behavior captured. Rocky shores are where you find these guys, so the background is perfect. It can be difficult to get detail in the blacks while not blowing out the legs. Soft light. Nicely done.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 14, 2018 at 8:37 PM

Good one, Dennis. I am glad you didn't try for a focus blur on this. The BG is uniform and doesn't really pull the eye away from the subject. Besides, this would be tough to make an artificial blur for that looked real.

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