Maria Small  

The Elegant and Graceful American Avocet by Maria Small

February 2025 - The Elegant and Graceful American Avocet

February 2025 - Maria Small

Original

About the Image(s)

The Elegant and Graceful American Avocet
I took this image of an American Avocet at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, California in June of last year. It was an overcast mid-morning (June gloom) but there was
sufficient light, and the water in the pond was very still and I could see the mirror like reflec when I took several shots of this bird. It was my first time to spot American Avocets and wa
fascinated with how they were sweeping their long bills from side to side in the water. How I wished I could have gotten closer to these elegant looking and graceful birds but couldn’t.
They have very strict rules to protect the wildlife.
Shot the image with my Sony A7III. Settings were F6.3, 1/1000 s, ISO 640 , at 378 mm.
I did a huge crop in Adobe Photoshop, then used ACR to adjust the exposure, contrast and vibrance. I brightened the background and adjusted the color of the water. Among the images I captured, this is my favorite because of how the bird seems to have posed for me.
Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

7 comments posted

Richard Goldenberg   Richard Goldenberg
Maria - I love this image and perhaps sadly have no suggestions for improving it. My one question is whether you've done other crops of the same image. I love seeing the bird and its reflection but also wonder if the same original would serve for an enlarged image of the Avocet without the reflection. Another bizarre thing I might have tried had this been my image is flipping it vertically and presenting just the reflected bird. The posted original was too low res for producing a good version of this, but I posted here a low res version of what I mean. It's surreal and perhaps is not of interest, but there can be something eye-catching about seeing the somewhat distorted reflection presented as if it were the original.   Posted: 02/05/2025 02:52:02
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Dr Isaac Vaisman   Dr Isaac Vaisman
Richard, even if you want to show some eye-catching variation of the original, the crop is excesive not allowing the bird to move anywhere.   Posted: 02/08/2025 20:45:23
Dr Isaac Vaisman   Dr Isaac Vaisman
Maria, nice sharp peak of action image of the Avocet in a non distracting environment in spite of the super crop. Here, I also think the crop is too tight not giving enough room for the bird to move into. I just added some canvas and took the bird off center.   Posted: 02/08/2025 20:50:36
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Maria Small   Maria Small
Thank you, Richard and Isaac for your comments and suggestions. Will be leaving tomorrow 2/17 for a 2 1/2 month trip to Thailand, India, the Philippines, China and Japan. Will try my best to submit and respond to comments during my travels.   Posted: 02/16/2025 20:10:17
Bruce Benson   Bruce Benson
Hey Maria, Wow lucky you to travel to so many places filled with awesome opportunities for photography. I would love to be your porter. American Avocets are a favorite of mine so was pleased to see your image. For my eye, the image is a little flat and underexposed. Even though I like reflections, this one just did not seem to add interest so offer a vertical crop with brightened levels for you to look at. Have a great time on your travels, and hope you get some nice images for us to view. Bruce   Posted: 02/19/2025 18:53:47
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Maria Mazo   Maria Mazo
Hi Maria, I really love avocets, and you've captured this one with a perfect reflection, a nice pose, and great action.
I also prefer the blue tonality on the water that Bruce suggested-it really makes the bird stand out.   Posted: 02/20/2025 00:35:06
Adrian Binney   Adrian Binney
Maria, I like your image with the reflection for added interest - but I would agree that it would feel more comfortable with more space to the right - a square crop from your original may work. As to the brightness change suggested by Bruce, this is a personal choice - but certainly makes for a punchier result. I like your image - many presentation options.   Posted: 02/21/2025 15:56:54

 

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