When it's Bright; Work Tight - American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher PORTRAIT  (Haematopus palliatus, Huîtrier d'Amérique, AMOY)  Fort DeSoto Beach, Tierra Verde, Florida. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon 1D MK IV, 500mm F4 L IS, 2X Teleconverter III & Canon 25mm Extension Tube. ISO 400, F10 @1/800s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION

When it's bright; work tight!

Let's face it; as much as we might like it, the light isn't always soft and golden. Those times I find myself out with my camera in bright, harsh light, I always work close with big glass to make the best of what light there is. The American Oystercatcher is a spectacular bird, one that's hard to stay away from when on a beach with my camera. I arrived on the beach early to scout out what was worth my time, and discovered the most co-operative pair of Oystercatchers standing against strong, sand laden winds. I immediately noticed their beaks were covered with sand, but also saw that I could manage to get a nice background by getting down low, and including the out of focus grass covered dune in the background. Sand, like snow, reflects a lot of light back into the shadowed areas of the image, reducing contrast and opening-up details that otherwise would be lost. Rather than passing up the shot, I worked what was there.

Later that same day, I rediscovered the same birds I had worked earlier, this time presenting with the sand rinsed off their beaks, and in spectacular light.

American Oystercatcher SUNSET PORTRAIT  (Haematopus palliatus, Huîtrier d'Amérique, AMOY)  Fort DeSoto Beach, Tierra Verde, Florida. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon 1D MK IV, 500mm F4 L IS, 1.4X Extender III & Canon 25mm Extension Tube. ISO 400, F10 @1/500s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION

American Oystercatcher SUNSET SURF  (Haematopus palliatus, Huîtrier d'Amérique, AMOY)  Fort DeSoto Beach, Tierra Verde, Florida. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds All Rights Reserved. Canon 1D MK IV, 500mm F4 L IS, 1.4X Extender III . ISO 400, F10 @1/500s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION