"We're your new, ugly neighbours!"

Critiques [Translate]

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• correp01 (1318)
• [2005-04-25 14:14]

Hi Pieter.
Nice shot, excellent moment.
The exposition is perfect. Not easy with this black birds.

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• PDP (11769)
• [2005-04-25 14:27]

They are not too ugly, I like their colours. Excellent capture Pieter, and I like the motherly attention they are getting. Very well done.

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• elizemeijer (2009)
• [2005-04-25 14:49]

Ahhh.... the cute coots. We are still waiting for our chicks. Well done on the compo,very good.. the feathers are like velvet too

Well done on the ugly coot chicks.
Elize

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• Toni (2034)
• [2005-04-25 16:35]

Um let's see. Take the branch off the bird. Make her look you in the eye. Move the green thing in the background. Of course, that's all impossible to do so no criticism.
Excellent colours and details of the feathers and straw. The little heads are too cute. Would like to see them when they're older.
Regards Toni

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• Janice (18648)
• [2005-04-25 16:42]
• [+]

Ugly, but doesn't Mama love them... They are so different from the adult too. And you and GF have taken ownership of this little family too Pieter.
Wonderful catch and it is lovely to see mother and babes so happy in their home. Please keep showing us their progress. TFS.

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• Robbrown (6062)
• [2005-04-25 16:58]

Hi Pieter, good capture shows wel the mother atending her babes. the only slight adjustment I would of done would be to apply the burntool to the white beak and face plate, set at a low level 15% for highlightsand with a soft edged brush it may take a couple of passes to take the edge off the brightness not an exact science several trys may be needed but worth trying.
There is nodoubt that the small cannals and drainage ditches provide a great haven for wildlife. TFS

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• AndyB (3982)
• [2005-04-25 19:47]

A very nice shot Pieter.
The chicks are very unusual looking,quite ugly infact but the mother loves 'em.You can see that in this shot!
The detail is nice and sharp,difficult to get with black subjects.
The straw over the mother is a slight distraction but that cant be helped and cloning it out would be difficult.
Thats the only slight nit I have with it and I MEAN slight!
Good work,well done.

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• Luc (14729)
• [2005-04-25 20:48]

Personal assessment of the photo: great. I think you did your best in those conditions.
Good visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete with link.
Thank you Pieter.

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• jossim (12252)
• [2005-04-25 22:08]

Maman poule ! Une très belle prise nature, les couleurs et l'éclairage sont parfaits.

Félicitation pour cette photo originale.

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• livios (16906)
• [2005-04-25 22:57]

Pieter, you are really posting amazing pictures.

This one is not an exception.

Excellent sharpness and pov. Great and vivid colors, a very nice moment. Everything's simply perfect here.

Once more, congratulations.

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• scottevers7 (12267)
• [2005-04-25 23:04]

Pieter, An excellent shot. Great colors and detail in this one. Nice Work!

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• ellis49 (30807)
• [2005-04-26 0:40]

Very nice picture Pieter.
The young one looks different from the mother but they are cute. Good details, colours and compostion. The head is little dark and the beak is little bright but that just a minor thing. And leave is as it is and don't clone anything.
IMO people use the cloning tools little to much to get away with straws and branches, its a part of the nature and shows the environs.
Very well done.

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• red45 (30243)
• [2005-04-26 3:55]

What a ugly uglies :-) Grotesque colorfull heads and plastic-like blue legs ;-) Birds from Village People area of aesthetics ;-) But her mother loves them so scene is touching and your photo very good Pieter!

PT

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• manyee (21074)
• [2005-04-26 4:04]

What a fantastic picture, Pieter. I just love these baby coots. They are so bizarre and so ugly, they are actually cute. The details are very sharp, and the exposure is perfect. The composition is priceless. Wonderful capture.

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• coasties (27718)
• [2005-04-26 5:02]

Ugly, hmmm not sure on that. They have amazing colour on their head. Plenty of teenagers pay lots of $$$'s for this look and these chicks get it for free!! :-) Mother looks very proud. Nice capture of the new family. Thanks

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• marhowie (302)
• [2005-04-26 5:49]

It's a great shot of your Coot mom and chicks Pieter. I like the downward glance of the mother, attending to her young..You say to hit hard..Only thing I can think of is if you were close enough to use fill flash, the moms black plumage might've shown more detail in the shot..There, I hit you! ;-)) Well done!

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• dew77 (13209)
• [2005-04-26 5:52]

Wonderful photo Pieter!
Details also on black are perfect.DOF,colors and especially composition are AMAZING!
TFS....:-)

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• TAZ (10926)
• [2005-04-26 7:09]

Belle et intéressante photographie cette petite famille de foulques sur son nid. Jolies couleurs et bonne netteté.
Very Well Done !

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• optic (0)
• [2005-04-26 7:39]

Wonderfull shot Pieter, you did a great capture very well composed, i like de detail & colours.

Good work,well done!

Regards,

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• gerhardt (11585)
• [2005-04-26 8:25]

WOW! Pieter wat 'n oomblik het jy hier vir ons!

This is an impresive capture Pieter. Both in subject material and technical qualities. I love the little redheads and have not seen them before. The exposure is spot on for this difficult dark siubject. Very well done. Impressive capture!

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• Fisher (8915)
• [2005-04-26 9:04]

Excelent shot of these CUTE little ones.
Well done on the composition. Hmm, sure look almost like turkey vultures with those ugly, ooops, cute heads. :) :)

Mike
Points tomorrow, I ran out
No complaints from this end of the world.

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• Comandante (1408)
• [2005-04-26 9:51]

Excellent post Pieter!
This is really wonderful composition.Congratulations!
Thanks for sharing.

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• liquidsunshine (11494)
• [2005-04-26 12:48]

Great capture Pieter,
I never realised that the chicks are so colourful.
I saw some nesting coots last week, I might go back to see how they're doing.
Nice details, good exposure, colours and sharpness.
This is a great moment pieter.
Thanks for posting

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• olger (744)
• [2005-04-26 14:48]
• [+]

Helemaal geweldig deze foto Pieter.. je beste tot nu toe!!! Dit is echt een WILDLIFE foto, geweldig! Mooie details, ook die moeder die bezorgt is om het jong.. Je investering in je lens zie je echt goed terug, prachtige kleuren en scherpte!!! Bovendien gebeurt er ook iets bijzonders op deze foto, vandaar mijn lovende kritieken! Your best picture in my opinion..!

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• naki (40)
• [2005-04-26 15:50]

The little ones are not so ugly I think. They're very nicely coloured. Material of the nest is calling attention.
It's a very good capture Pieter.
Thank for sharing.

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• Runnerduck (1849)
• [2005-04-27 5:30]

A brilliant shot, amazing detail. How protective is this mother! Fantastic colours as well. I'm always really amazed by the size of their feet. Well done and thank you for posting.

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• cafecrem (9248)
• [2005-04-27 6:33]

Halo Pieter!
Superb photo! I love it. Thank you for showing care on your photo.

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• extramundi (12818)
• [2005-04-28 9:57]

Nice & tender picture, Pieter. They are not as ugly, at least they have wonderful colours :D
It is very nice that you share with us this kind of everyday stories, I enjoyed reading your note, and I could imagine their enviroment very well. Thanks.

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• flagman (2396)
• [2005-05-09 4:37]

Beautiful colours on the young and great exposure to capture the shades of grey on the adult bird. You're very lucky to have such a sight on your doorstep.
Andy.

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• Callie (7531)
• [2005-05-15 10:38]

Dagsê Pieter
Ek pos so min want ek het nie tyd om kommentaar te lewer nie!
I see "your" baby coots are as charming as ours - all red, black and blue - a very nice job you did of this parent and offspring. One of the pics on my wishlist for a long time! TFS

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• Motrem (288)
• [2005-05-20 20:19]

For me these birds are of an inestimable beauty. The female has a velvet head and the details of feathers are magnificent. As for the small, few feathers on the head but the immense paws for their quite small body. Colours are magnificent and the successful centring, to my opinion. Good shot!

Pour moi ces oiseaux sont d'une beauté inestimable. La femelle a une tête de velours et les détails des plumes sont superbes. Pour ce qui est des petits, peu de plumes sur la tête mais des pattes immenses pour leur tout petit corps. Les couleurs sont superbes et le cadrage réussi, à mon avis. Good shot!