Polarization of sunlight at about 2pm, shining through a plastic/perspex (?) bridge side barrier running parallel and above this shot (supporting slats also reflected).
Specific Feedback Requested
I couldn’t get closer as the water is a lake and the barrier is about 200m away. So I had to use the zoom lens at 600mm. I don’t have a CP filter for this, but wonder if that would have improved the shot anyway. I’d welcome any other advice too, as I may be able to return (with a tripod) and hope for a better shot (though no guarantee of bird!).
Technical Details
D500 + 150-600mm 1/5000 f10 ISO 1000 (set for bird in flight!) Hand-held
Considerable cropping necessary. Adjustments in PS for Shadows and Highlights, mid-tones in Levels later.
Whoa, Mike that is some rainbow you have going there. The colors are so overpowering, for me at least, the Cormorant gets lost. I do agree using a tripod and a CP filter may help. Love the idea and can’t wait to see more photo from this location. Nicely seen.
While the bird could obviously be sharper, it’s fine for the conditions, Mike. The rainbow is incredible and makes this shot work. I don’t think a polarizer would work-it might mess with the colors. I hope you have good luck replicating it with a better setup.
This works quite well as an abstract, and I have no issue with the fact that the bird is secondary to those amazing colors. Still, it’s worth returning, as you say, to try again… getting a bird isolated more against a patch of color (rather than the dark line) or in profile might take this to the next level. Overall, well-seen and executed, Mike, and congrats on the EP.
Mike, a polarizer is likely to suppress the colored reflections from the water (since suppressing polarized light is its use and reflections off any flat surface are at least partially polarized). It’s worth a try, but look at its effect before committing. The colors are amazingly pure.
