Brenda Fishbaugh, QPSA
April 2026 - Spoonbill Spread
Original
About the Image(s)
Roseate Spoonbill, photographed at Stick Marsh, Florida on March 9, 2026.
I attended the week long Out of Merritt Island Bird Photography workshop in Florida. Small groups went to different locations every morning and evening, each time with different instructors (14 total).
Stick Marsh is loaded with tons of Florida's favorite bird, the Roseate Spoonbill.
I have a new fabulous lens, and shot this at f/2.8
I cropped, used ON 1 to remove noise and sharpen, and used ON1 filter to finish it.
Canon R5II. Canon RF 100-300 f/2.8 lens
ISO 100 300mm f/2.8 1/2000 sec handheld
12 comments posted
This is a strong image-well captured and nicely processed. The crop works perfectly, and the contrast and saturation are very well balanced.
Looking at your original unprocessed photo, I noticed a few black spots (circled in the attached image). Are these out-of-focus distant elements like birds, or could they be dust on the sensor? If it's dust, it might be time for a sensor cleaning. Posted: 04/03/2026 02:09:31
Looking at your original unprocessed photo, I noticed a few black spots (circled in the attached image). Are these out-of-focus distant elements like birds, or could they be dust on the sensor? If it's dust, it might be time for a sensor cleaning. Posted: 04/03/2026 02:09:31
Sunil, thanks so much for your kind words.
Thanks for your concern about sensor spots. I'm shooting with a 2.8 lens, so the foreground and background blurs quickly. It's just junk in the water. Here is an image that shows different spots in the water, not on bird, grass, etc. It also shows the Spoonbills' bills more closely. Posted: 04/08/2026 00:54:19
Thanks for your concern about sensor spots. I'm shooting with a 2.8 lens, so the foreground and background blurs quickly. It's just junk in the water. Here is an image that shows different spots in the water, not on bird, grass, etc. It also shows the Spoonbills' bills more closely. Posted: 04/08/2026 00:54:19
Love the crop and the wings of the bird - nicely balanced and great focus just on the bird. Did you try a 16x9 crop with more of the sky/lake. The beak, head and shoulders look slightly over-sharpened on my monitor. Posted: 04/04/2026 19:27:00
Thanks for your comments on the bird. I do have other shots of the bird, where it might make sense to go wider. I'll work on one of those later. I shot dozens of images, going for the image I shared--the big wings in tight.
I'll definitely look at the "too sharp" areas you mention. The down side of a f/2.8 lens is that its really sharp and really blurs fast outside of where the focus point is. Thanks for pointing that out. Posted: 04/08/2026 01:02:23
I'll definitely look at the "too sharp" areas you mention. The down side of a f/2.8 lens is that its really sharp and really blurs fast outside of where the focus point is. Thanks for pointing that out. Posted: 04/08/2026 01:02:23
Wow, great capture of this beauty, and the post-processing is so nice! I noticed the black spots too, as Sunil Mehta pointed out. Do you have any other side shots of this bird that highlight the interesting beak even more? Posted: 04/06/2026 17:03:49
Hi Jean, thanks for your comments. I answered about the black spots and picked a pic that shows the Spoonbill's bill better. Thanks again! Posted: 04/08/2026 01:06:43
Very nice! I really don't have much to add or suggest. Posted: 04/07/2026 03:48:54
I appreciate it! Thanks so much! Posted: 04/08/2026 01:07:15
Just back from two weeks hiking in Japan, hence my tardy comments. Actually, I have nothing to add other than that with nothing in front of or behind the bird, a shallow depth of field is unnecessary. I wonder if the bird would have been still sharper if you had shot at f/8? Posted: 04/14/2026 15:48:43
Thanks, Robert! I'll check on some other images and see about sharpening the bird for my rework!
I hope you had a great time! Can't wait to see your pix! Posted: 04/14/2026 16:03:50
I hope you had a great time! Can't wait to see your pix! Posted: 04/14/2026 16:03:50
I really want to join such an amazing bird photography workshop-there must be so many different ecological scenes to see. I truly love this photo. The composition is highly dynamic, with the subject centered and its wings spread symmetrically, creating a strong sense of visual balance. The pink feathers stand out vividly against the blue sky, producing a clean and striking color contrast. The details are sharp, the layers of feathers are clearly defined, and the moment of motion is beautifully captured. Posted: 04/15/2026 01:19:59
Thanks so much, Pei-Fan. I appreciate the kind words and I'm glad you find the shot beautiful. Posted: 04/15/2026 01:38:44