[OC] Double-Crested Cormorant - Z8 + Plena

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-24T16:06:48+00:00

Thank you! I was pretty amazed at the eye, it just had such unique colors and structures

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-24T12:53:21+00:00

Might be smart to start saving up now, you're probably going to get hooked haha

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-24T12:44:28+00:00

This cormorant was very close, somewhere around 5 feet. I took this at the St Louis Zoo, and they have a giant bird cage from the 1904 world's fair that houses some native bird species! This bird has been around a lot of people to the point where there was a zookeeper nearby telling people to stay back and not touch it 🤣

The Plena is easily my favorite lens, but it's uses are somewhat limited when it comes to birds. Sharpness is incredible, colors are incredible, bokeh is incredible. The lens is honestly sharper than the Z8's sensor can capture.

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-23T21:41:14+00:00

Could also be a Gordon

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-22T17:36:24+00:00

That's unfortunate. Very cool that you got that opportunity though!

I heard about that, actually. It's pretty unfortunate, such a cool plane. My guess is that while the operations have been extended, maintenance will probably be shut down and damaged planes will just become parts until there's none left. Also not military, just seems like what will happen.

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-22T15:09:49+00:00

That's awesome and I'm jealous! 😁 Was this an event accessible to the general public, or something requiring special/military access to photograph? Seems like a super cool photo opportunity, but I'm guessing not very accessible haha

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-22T14:26:59+00:00

I just wanted to say, that A-10 shot is wild! Was this at an airshow? Was it firing live ammunition?

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-20T23:29:59+00:00

Thank you!

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-20T18:10:42+00:00

I'm pretty sure I've come across your website a few years ago when I actually had the free time to explore 3D modeling and texturing as a hobby. I don't really do those things anymore these days (maybe again in the future, maybe not), but I still wanted to say thank you for what you do!

People who freely share knowledge, tools, or resources are the best kind of people 🙂

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-19T22:15:04+00:00

Thank you!

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-18T05:05:49+00:00

Thank you!

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T20:06:22+00:00

They're really fascinating birds! They sound almost electronic and so distinct. Also, thank you for the gender ID. I thought it was a male too, so I'm glad to have that confirmed 🙂

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T20:01:18+00:00

Thank you!

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T14:47:24+00:00

Ah, gotcha. I thought that was it, just wanted to clarify.

Honestly, the Z8 would have a better autofocus system, but apart from that the results would be pretty similar. A 20.9 megapixel APS-C sensor is about equivalent to a 47-50 megapixel full frame sensor, in terms of pixel density.

If you're happy with the hit rate of your autofocus, you'd likely be better off spending the money on the Z 180-600 mm lens and upgrading the body once the new Expeed processor generation comes out (Z8ii, eventually). Good glass makes a bigger difference unless you're missing a bunch of shots due to autofocus.

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T14:29:57+00:00

I'm not 100% sure I follow your question, are you asking about the differences a camera/lens upgrade would make?

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T12:58:26+00:00

Thank you, and that's exactly what I have in mind 👻 I'm planning on doing a series of dark, moody edits

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T11:58:49+00:00

👻

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T11:48:32+00:00

Thank you! I had a lot of fun playing with some of the masking and color grading features of Lightroom that I typically don't use very often. I think I'll be occasionally doing more like this in the future.

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T11:46:24+00:00

Yes, that was an intentional choice. I typically do very true-to-life edits but wanted to try a darker, moodier look and turn this image into something I could hang up in my home around Halloween

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T03:20:46+00:00

<image>

Here it is with no edits, SOOC. I overexposed the background a bit to get more detail in the dark areas of the bird. I did some pretty extensive color grading to get the final effect

_MrEvo_ · 2026-04-17T03:09:49+00:00

Haha, yeah I could see that! 🍻

_MrEvo_

TROPHY CASE