Long-billed Curlew w/prey (Reposted without exposure adjust)

Posted by Chris Fagyal on Wed Sep 03, 2003 2:38 pm

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This is an image of a Long-billed Curlew I shot while at Fort DeSoto last Thursday. This guy was an amazing hunter. Every single time he probed his long bill into the shoreline along the water, he came out with a crab. I never saw him fail once. He was also an amazing subject.

Canon Eos10D + Canon 400mm f/5.6. 1/3200th @ f/9.0, EV -1 1/3.

Chris Fagyal
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Last edited by Chris Fagyal on Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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by Bob Ettinger on Wed Sep 03, 2003 3:26 pm

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Chris,

Nice and that crab is a real plus.

Bob Ettinger

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by Mike Danzenbaker on Wed Sep 03, 2003 3:58 pm

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This is a rare example of a photo where I'd prefer a head shot. All the interest and impact in the photo is concentrated right there. Easier said than done, I know.

A little CW rotation seems to be in order.

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by Mike Wilson on Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:10 pm

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Nice shot Chris. A little less exposure would make it better I think. The crab makes the shot.

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by E.J. Peiker on Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:35 pm

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I know this bird

Nice shot of him with a snack.

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by Heather Forcier on Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:45 pm

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Great shot, the crab hanging out of the mouth really makes it!

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by Chris Fagyal on Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:05 pm

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Mike,

Interesting regarding the exposure. I actually lightened it up a tad because the original post that I previewed it looked a tad dark to me. Maybe I overdid it a bit. The original is not this exposed (-1 1/3 EV)

Chris Fagyal
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by Robert Royse on Wed Sep 03, 2003 6:06 pm

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Nice catch for both you and the bird! LB Curlews are always a treat for those of us who don't live on the west coast.

As others have mentioned, this might be a hair on the bright side, but it's not out of the ballpark. No important details are lost.

I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it would have been possible to get lower to throw more of the background out of focus. Try sitting down with your tripod legs flattened out using an angle finder.

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by Paul Fusco on Wed Sep 03, 2003 6:33 pm

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Chris -

Nice behavior shot. The crab really stands out well.

I have shot this guy at Ft D myself, and hes a real ham!!

Good job.

- Paul

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by Chris Fagyal on Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:12 pm

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Robert,

In this instance I probably could have lowered it a bit. Not a lot but a bit. Flattening the tripod legs out woulda put the camera in the water, but I probably could have gone a little lower.

Chris Fagyal
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by Bruce DiVaccaro on Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:18 pm

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Chris,

This is very nice. You have received some good suggestions on how to improve the image. I think you captured a great pose with the head turn and with the crab.

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by Jim Neiger on Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:19 pm

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Cool shot of a cool bird and the crab adds a lot of interest. I agree with the comments about the exposure. Darkening and increasing the contrast a bit in PS should help. Two other things I would suggest are hand holding the camera to get as low as possible and trying to get out earlier in the day. The lighting here seems a bit harsh. On a sunny day, Fort Desoto is best from when the sun clears the tree tops at 7:15 or so until 9:00-9:30.

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by KK Hui on Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:31 pm

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The little crab helps making this a more interesting shot. The image looks a bit too bright as is viewing from my crt mon. Apart, it's nice, Chris!

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by Bob Cameron on Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:36 pm

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Chris, a neat shot. I too have probably photographed this guy at DeSoto and you're right he is an incredible crabber. I am sure if you get to DeSoto again he will allow that lower angle shot!
Regards,
Bob

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by Bruce Sherman on Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:56 pm

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Chris,
Great catch on your part. I too think that cutting back on the exposure just a tad would have made this one extra special.

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by Jim Urbach on Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:20 pm

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Chris, Nice capture. I have nearly identical images but with a 600 lens.

Jim

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by Chris Fagyal on Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:37 pm

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Reposted without nearly as much adjustment to exposure. This is basically how it looked out of the camera exposure wise.

Chris Fagyal
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by Brian K. on Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:45 pm

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Nice capture. The crab makes it.

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by Alan Murphy on Wed Sep 03, 2003 8:45 pm

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Love the repost Chris.

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by Rick Barletta on Wed Sep 03, 2003 11:21 pm

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I like the repost also Chris! Nice capture.

I know this one fairly well. I've spent a lot of time searching for him at DeSoto. He is always fun to watch and photograph.

Rick Barletta
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