Conflict

[Randy Stout]

I went back to the bird sanctuary this AM, hoping to get a few more shots in before the ice was lost.  We have had record warm temperatures here in Michigan the last few days. 

I like to work back lighting and water, as the spray and reflections can be rewarding.  This pair of trumpeter swans was feeling the warmer weather, and were being quite feisty.  I was pleased with the sense of action, flying spray, dynamic poses. In the next couple of frames the bird on the right ran right over the other bird.  That had to hurt!

Having fun playing with the D810.  Slow fps for bird work, but the detail in the images is impressive, even if one has to crop a bit.

D810.  Sigma 150-600  f/6.3  1/4000s  ISO 800.

Silver efex pro post processing.

Advice and comments always appreciated.

Cheers

Randy

[Anthony]

Great, dynamic, action, well shot, and the b+w treatment concentrates the viewer's attention on the body positions.

[elsa hoffmann]

Randy I think you did well and the results are great.
While I have Nik - and love it - I seldom use it (okey that doesn't make much sense)
I get the idea here that NIK was a very good choice and the image pops nicely

[Randy Stout]

Thanks Anthony and Elsa:

I enjoy Silver Efex, and am tinkering with different options to achieve different looks.  Fascinating how different images respond to the various filters and settings!

Cheers

Randy

[armando_m]

Wonderful result !

silverefex can be a lot of fun

you say this is a crop ? I understand why you crop it very close ( I would probably do the same )  perhaps a bit more space all around may benefit the image ... ?

[Erik Lund]

Very nice action capture, but for me the BG is very distracting.

[Akira]

Randy, I can just say that this is a great capture!

[Peter Connan]

Magnificent capture!

[Randy Stout]

Thanks folks for the comments,

Eric:  I appreciate your point about the background.  I felt the action, light colored water spray, helped reduce the impact of the background enough to make it an effective image.  I will revisit it to see about toning down the background.

Cheers

Randy

[MFloyd]

Excellent picture ! I have no problems with the background, as the birds contrast quite sharply.

[Randy Stout]

Wonderful result !

silverefex can be a lot of fun

you say this is a crop ? I understand why you crop it very close ( I would probably do the same )  perhaps a bit more space all around may benefit the image ... ?

Armando:  Yes, it is cropped, top and bottom, and a bit from the left where another birds head and neck were in the frame.  I thought the final crop fit the shape of the birds well, but can certainly see a bit more room.

Cheers

Randy