Winter Sandhill

What technical feedback would you like if any? How’s the comp?

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Any pertinent technical details: D500 850 mm (600mm +1.4x TC; Manual Exposure: 1/1000 sec at f8.0, Iso 1600; fill flash at -1.7ev) Levels. Topaz Denoise + 75% opacity Topaz Detail, Dodged to brighten Iris, Crop for Comp. This is type of picture that fits more into my wheel house. These sandhills are used to people that feed smaller birds and chipmunks at this metro-park. Visitors have been advised not to feed the cranes as they will knock people down and steal their lunch. So these are not captive animals by any means and they do occasionally prey on the unwary suburbanite from Detroit.

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

Hello, Jim. In my opinion this is right comp for Crane portraits - so no nits. Great detail and pleasant BG colours ! Cheers, Hans

Thank you Hans…Jim

Nice portrait with excellent detail and eye contact. There does seem to be a bit of a bluish cast in the darker plumage but this might be the way it was.

Jim, good job getting good focus for this portrait, and I like the crop. I know from experience that getting the whole subject sharp at close range can be a real challenge with long glass like that, and you’ve handled it well. I don’t feed the wildlife, but would be tempted to make an exception sometimes :wink:

Great detail in the crane and wonderful BG to go with it!

Thank you. These guys usually tempt me with various poses when preening and they manage to hide their eyes right when I’m ready to snap the trigger. If I were to feed these guys, they would go for some mice. It was a nice brisk morning and the feathers were puffed up to provide added insulation. Yes David, the raw file was very blue and I adjusted the white balance to reduce, but not remove all of the blue…Jim

Beautiful detail and a great head turn, Jim. I like how the eye almost glows. No nits here.

Classic…excellent comp, great eye…

What’s not to love? Sharp, beautiful background and yes, I think the crop is great. Very nice.

This is awesome. IQ, comp., and BG are all excellent, and I’d have never guessed you used flash. I noticed that the feathers looked a little bluish as well, but I am about as far from an expert on sandhill cranes as one can be. Really nice.