Limpkin Preening -- crop?

Posted by Christina Evans on Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:26 pm

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1DMk2, Canon 300 f/4, ISO 250, 1/320, f/5.6, full frame except for a small crop off the top

I was not prepared for this Limpkin to jump up onto the railing right in front of me to clean up, at Largo Nature Preserve on Thursday afternoon. Was too close for this focal length, and in order to get a good background I could not get any farther away than this since the boardwalk turned. Hence, a clipped tail -- and of course clipped the feet and legs, (but did not want the railing anyway). I tried a few crops, but there are so many beautiful shapes and feathers going on, I could not bring myself to lose any of them at this point.

So -- what do you think? Does it work okay as is, or if not, please suggest and/or repost with a crop you think works better.

Many thanks for your help and comments.

Christina Evans
http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/

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by Michael Dossett on Sun Oct 02, 2005 12:07 am

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While I do miss the tail and feet this is a good compromise IMO, Christina. This is quite lovely. Nice work!

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by Gerald J Romanchuk on Sun Oct 02, 2005 12:11 am

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Too bad about the clipped feet & tail - but this way you get a close-up of the interesting behavior.

Great feather detail!

Gerald Romanchuk
Edmonton, Alberta

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by KK Hui on Sun Oct 02, 2005 12:18 am

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Excellent detail and sharpness, Christina!
One option is going square as follows ...

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by john on Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:01 am

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The original works for me! I don't mind the clipping..there's enough there to hold my interest without feeling awkward. Maybe a tad off the top if anything.

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by mrhughj on Sun Oct 02, 2005 4:17 am

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Works for me as presented, Chrisitna. The shapes that you mentioned, as well as the detail, are incredible.

Hugh

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by Larry Kaufman on Sun Oct 02, 2005 7:20 am

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Yup - It works as is for me Christina. The colors, plumage detail, and preening pose are fabulous.
-Larry

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by Chris Fagyal on Sun Oct 02, 2005 7:37 am

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The original is lovely, and KK's crop is possibly even better as it eliminates the awkward bit of the legs at the bottom. Showing this much detail in the feathers of a limpkin is very cool though. I like the shot

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by pleverington on Sun Oct 02, 2005 10:19 am

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I too hate to see this one cropped Christina. What I think would really work is if you made a layer ,filled it with 50% grey and overlay, and darkened the areas around the legs and around the tail to the point that this becomes one of those "Rembrant" looking pictures where the subject comes out of the dark backround. In essence the legs and tail could get cropped out without loosing the wing. This is a really nice picture worth figuring out a way.

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by Christina Evans on Sun Oct 02, 2005 10:20 am

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Thank you, KK, for taking it on -- your crop is better than any I had tried. I'm happy to hear that the original works okay for some, too.

Appreciate all your comments.

Christina Evans
http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/

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by Colin Inman on Sun Oct 02, 2005 12:43 pm

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Would have loved to have seen an image of the whole bird, it's a shame you weren't able to get further back in this case. Too close with a 300, if only...

I think KK's suggested crop makes for a strong composition, bringing out the best of a great image.

Colin

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by Van Hilliard on Sun Oct 02, 2005 1:32 pm

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I have no complaints about the photo, re cropping.
Beautiful luminescent shading from dark to light. The eye is especially entrancing. Outstanding detail.

Van

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by Christina Evans on Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:03 pm

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pleverington wrote:I too hate to see this one cropped Christina. What I think would really work is if you made a layer ,filled it with 50% grey and overlay, and darkened the areas around the legs and around the tail to the point that this becomes one of those "Rembrant" looking pictures where the subject comes out of the dark backround. In essence the legs and tail could get cropped out without loosing the wing. This is a really nice picture worth figuring out a way.

I really like this idea -- may try it. Thanks!

Christina Evans
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by Miguel Lasa on Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:20 pm

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amazing feathers Christina

, nicely composed

[url=http://www.miguellasa.com][b]Miguel Lasa Photography[/b][/url]

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by Mike Wilson on Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:14 pm

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Really a cool shot. I like your original crop but think a crop above the legs and some off the left would also work. Great behavior here.

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by Kim Steininger on Tue Oct 04, 2005 3:34 am

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What a beautiful pose and BG! It almost looks like a studio portrait. I don't miss the feet so much but do miss the tail. Would love to see this if you redo with Paul's suggestion. Definitely worth spending some time on this image Christina! :)

Kim Steininger

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