Tom Brott
July 2017 - Spoonbill Taking Off
About the Image(s)
Father's Day morning we took a ride over to Sanibel and Ding Darling Refuge. There were about 30 spoonbills feeding in the shallows even at 9:30 AM with the tide coming in.
They slowly started taking off nicely spaced over the next half hour. It was a bright and sunny morning.
Canon 7D MII, f/8, 1/3200 sec, ISO 800, 100-400 lens + 1.4 ext = 560mm, hand held.
Didn't do much. Increased levels, sharpened and cropped a little off the bottom and a partial spoonbill on the right. I was really too far out to make it a third bird.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted
Well done Tom and Happy Father's Day! I like it a lot and love the power wing forward position as well as the trailing drops of water. The bird in the water balances the image and to me adds interest. I wouldn't change anything but stretching to come up with an idea I might try some negative clarity or a partial blur on the water in the distance.
Posted: 07/05/2017 09:15:50
Posted: 07/05/2017 09:15:50
I like the pairing of the spoonbills. They are among my favorite birds. I like the water droplets off the flying spoonbill and the reflection of the smaller spoonbill.
I don't know if it is camera settings or the distance you were from the spoonbills but the faces of the birds are a bit soft and feathers are not quite as sharp as your images usually are.
Posted: 07/08/2017 10:16:52
I don't know if it is camera settings or the distance you were from the spoonbills but the faces of the birds are a bit soft and feathers are not quite as sharp as your images usually are.
Posted: 07/08/2017 10:16:52
(Group 95)
I always love your shots...and I love the subject matter of this one as well. There is something impacting it, and I feel I can see an outline around some parts of the larger bird along his top lines. The kind you sometimes get when sharpening? The other thing is that either the bird is a little soft, or the blur of the water is fighting the bird. It is a wonderful capture, though, as far as action, subject, etc. Lovely colors! Posted: 07/10/2017 14:00:23
(Group 64)
Excellent in all regards. Change nothing, in my opinion. Posted: 07/13/2017 21:59:58
I can't seem to enlarge your image to get a better look, so please take my input with "a grain of salt." To me, the larger spoonbill looks over sharpened, and it appears to have a slight halo around it. Since you have not done much too it, this can't be a result of post processing, so I assume it is refraction. I have found that the best way to eliminate a halo is to use the clone tool in PS on the darken mode. Adjust the opacity as needed then just brush around the edges. You don't even have to be real carful as it only seems to darken the bright pixels.
I am envious of your close proximity to Ding Darling. We are in a "dead period" for subject matter here in Arkansas at present. Posted: 07/15/2017 08:45:49
I am envious of your close proximity to Ding Darling. We are in a "dead period" for subject matter here in Arkansas at present. Posted: 07/15/2017 08:45:49
Wonderful composition! I love the water droplets and reflection. The flying bird imparts a powerful sense of motion, like a swimmer doing the Australian crawl. Both birds and many water droplets do indeed have a dark outline and halo. I have seen these when I overuse the sharpen, vibrancy, or clarity. While they may reduce a competition score, they do not lesson the impact of the image for me. Posted: 07/15/2017 12:57:36