Sylvia Bacon
July 2024 - “America Oystercatcherâ€
Original
About the Image(s)
This was taken several years ago on the Kiawah River at Kiawah Island, SC. It is always a treat to see an oystercatcher! Any suggestions and thoughts would be appreciated, Thank you!
Edited in Adobe Camera Raw: basic sliders and masked the bird, oysters and water separately to bring out individual details. PS: dodge/ burn tools and cropped. Topaz Denoise ai to remove noise.
Nikon D5000, Lens Nikon 70.0 -300.0 mm, Focal length 230.0 mm, Exposure 1/1600 sec, F/5.3, ISO 360, Shutter priority; Spot metering.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
13 comments posted
Hi Sylvia,
Nice capture of an interesting predator. Welcome to the open oyster bar. This bird is unique in being able to open oysters with that huge bill. I like the interesting color of the eyes of the American Oystercatcher. Thanks for sharing Posted: 07/09/2024 17:32:12
Nice capture of an interesting predator. Welcome to the open oyster bar. This bird is unique in being able to open oysters with that huge bill. I like the interesting color of the eyes of the American Oystercatcher. Thanks for sharing Posted: 07/09/2024 17:32:12
Hi Sylvia,
Nice capture of this American Pied Oystercatcher in its environment. Your crop works well, enhancing the bird that is a bit lost in the original image.
You followed the right steps in editing to bring out all the detail in the oysters and bird. However, I find that something isn't working well. the oysters behind the bird are sharper than the bird itself, and this detail catches my attention every time I look at the image. I suggest you reduce the sharpness in those oysters. Doing this will create the illusion of a sharper bird.
Posted: 07/13/2024 04:41:47
Nice capture of this American Pied Oystercatcher in its environment. Your crop works well, enhancing the bird that is a bit lost in the original image.
You followed the right steps in editing to bring out all the detail in the oysters and bird. However, I find that something isn't working well. the oysters behind the bird are sharper than the bird itself, and this detail catches my attention every time I look at the image. I suggest you reduce the sharpness in those oysters. Doing this will create the illusion of a sharper bird.
Posted: 07/13/2024 04:41:47
Great suggestion Maria. that would make the bird appear sharper and remove those as distractions and add to the story. Posted: 07/23/2024 00:28:44
Lisa, I quickly removed the top row of shells and the image looks a lot better, thanks!
Posted: 07/29/2024 20:32:14
Posted: 07/29/2024 20:32:14
Thank you Maria, for pointing out how sharp the shells were. I have blurred them a bit and it does make a difference, great suggestion! Posted: 07/29/2024 20:29:34
Hi Sylvia. For some reason I like the photo flipped the other way. I think if the bird was over to the right a little and the foreground was a little blurred it would bring more attention to the subject. Posted: 07/18/2024 02:05:54
Hi Deborah, I rotated the bird to face in the other direction and decided I preferred seeing his body go left to right. It's all subjective and rotating him is also fine. I did re-crop the image and placed him more in the center. What do you think? Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Posted: 07/29/2024 20:54:29
Hi Sylvia, An interesting image! I like how you cropped the image. I like the composition, However, I think the image is not focused well and the bird is not in sharp focus. After increasing contrast and sharpening, the whole image seems increased graining. Thanks for sharing!
Posted: 07/22/2024 14:55:33
Posted: 07/22/2024 14:55:33
Sadly the oyster shells were more in focus than the Oyster Catcher. This was taken in a moving boat and at the time I was just thrilled to even See this bird! You are right about the bird being out of focus although hopefully it looks a little better since the shells have been blurred. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Posted: 07/29/2024 20:58:26
I like you you cropped and flipped the image -- adds a lot to the story, especially the bird large against the shells
To improve: try to wait for the bird to be perpendicular to you rather than facing away from you. Posted: 07/23/2024 00:27:52
To improve: try to wait for the bird to be perpendicular to you rather than facing away from you. Posted: 07/23/2024 00:27:52
As always Lisa, thank you for sharing your thoughts! Posted: 07/29/2024 21:00:12
What an interesting photo. It does tell a story. I have never seen a oystercatcher before. I also like how you flipped the image but feel that the bird is not in sharp focus. Posted: 07/28/2024 19:52:25
Thank you Marilyn, I also like the story this image tells! Posted: 07/29/2024 20:59:34