This one prefers baby octopus! We watched him for 1/2 hour, repeatedly plucking little octopus from the crevices of rocks at low tide. Also postd in the "Avian" forum.
D1X, 105cc macro at about 20 feet, cropped on 4 sides, levels, sharpened
Hi Sandy - it sure seems that you had a great run of experiences down in the Galapagos! I don't know if I will ever make it there but your pictures are sure convincing me that it would be worth it!!
From a technical perspective things are pretty good in this shot - it's sharp and the all important eye is very well defined, it's exposed well, you left more room on the right side which is the direction the oyster catcher is facing, and there's something of actual interest (eating) going on, etc. It might have been tough to get actual detail in the blacks here without some fill flash but lacking that in the blacks doesn't hurt it here.
The thing that I could see that would have made this even better is if there had been an opportunity to get the bird in a position where the dark upper body was framed against a lighter background. That might have been impossible in this situation. I know I try to do that in my own bird photography and I often fail in that regard - it's not easy as these are dynamic subjects that don't respond to instructions . Lacking that, less depth of field to perhaps allow the background to "disappear" relative to the bird might have helped. If you are so inclined, I believe that you can do the equivalent in post-processing...
Regardless, I find this to be a fine shot!
Posted by Ned Fenimore on May 15, 2006 at 11:40 AM
Those are cool looking birds. I like the contrast of that red beak against the black feathers and background..
Sandy, I have been loving these wonderful bird photos from the Galapagos. Their colorations are truly extraordinary. Must have been very exciting doing this photography.
Discussion
3 repliesD1X, 105cc macro at about 20 feet, cropped on 4 sides, levels, sharpened
From a technical perspective things are pretty good in this shot - it's sharp and the all important eye is very well defined, it's exposed well, you left more room on the right side which is the direction the oyster catcher is facing, and there's something of actual interest (eating) going on, etc. It might have been tough to get actual detail in the blacks here without some fill flash but lacking that in the blacks doesn't hurt it here.
The thing that I could see that would have made this even better is if there had been an opportunity to get the bird in a position where the dark upper body was framed against a lighter background. That might have been impossible in this situation. I know I try to do that in my own bird photography and I often fail in that regard - it's not easy as these are dynamic subjects that don't respond to instructions
Regardless, I find this to be a fine shot!
Janet B