Sanderling's Supper

Hi All,

Another one from the coast. Got lucky with the light and subject here. The gulls were harassing every sanderling that caught a juicy morsel, but they didn’t spot this one as it grabbed its supper right beside me–and right as the sun peeked out from behind some clouds.

In post, I straightened the shot, cropped in a bit, sharpened the bird, reduced noise on the BG, and and ran a slight curves adjustment. All C&C welcome.

Techs:
D850
500mm f/4 AF-S II, handheld lying in cold surf!
ISO 800
1/2500
f/7.1

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@feelingruby

The decisive moment for sure!! Worth getting wet for – even cold wet! DOF is wonderful with the hint of the waves breaking in the BG and the reflection in the FG. No criticism, but I’m a bit surprised by the brightness of the underside. I’m not a birder so maybe it’s pure white, with the color cast from reflected light. Can’t help but wonder if a reduction in Highlights in raw conversion would bring in more highlight detail, but maybe you did that.

Lyle, the only part where I am wishing for just a bit more highlight detail is a on the neck/cheek area.

Nice action shot, Lyle, and the down low position words great.

Dandy shot. The splash adds a lot and nice low angle. The reflected soft light brightens up the underside. Certainly worth getting wet for.

Wonderful light, and it’s great to see the Sanderling working on its food. Panorama cut works fine as well. Love it ! Cheers, Hans