Juvenile Wood Stork

[Joseph Przybyla]

I found a group of Wood Storks ( juvenile and adults) at Lake Mirror today. It is wonderful to see the juveniles because this species was just taken off the endangered species list, now listed as threatened. This lake is in the center of the city of Lakeland, Florida surrounded by a promenade and buildings, a unusual spot for them. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 320mm (480mm FFE)
1/2000 F/5.6 ISO 800
Post processed in Lightroom 5

[Daniel Cadieux]

Wow Joseph, this is probably my favorite image of yours to date. Excellent subtle colours, perfect sharpness, and the whites look great. I love the bill, and the hairdo. The only thing I would have done is point the lens a bit more to your left (halve the space at right and add that amount back at left).

[gail bisson]

I really like this Joe.
Great comp, nice looking bird with clean fresh plumage and a perfect composition.
the head position is lovely and i like the spiky hairdo.
The eye is so nice and clear.
You got good DOF at 5.6.
The whites look great but i do see a hint of a green color cast at the bottom of the frame. It must be from surrounding greenery. Not a big deal but an easy fix ,
gail

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely stork portrait, Joe. While not a particularly attractive bird, you've managed to make a lovely portrait with those soft colors and diffused light. The comp works well for me, although Daniel's idea would probably work well also.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thank you all for your positive comments, with your help and patience I am getting better. Thank again for viewing and commenting.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Joseph, great head angle here, and the detail that you have brought out is simply stunning. Great eye too. You managed to control the whites nicely.

[Diane Miller]

Who would have thought a wood stork could be cute! You made this one so. And I am SO jealous of where you live!! Hope to make it back to the Lakeland area next spring. Crazy weather shot down our usual small plane trip to the south this year.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thank you Stuart and Dianne, I appreciate you taking time to view and comment on my images.

Stuart, regarding the detail in the image, I have to attribute that to the lens. It is new to me but I am seeing a big improvement, that is the only thing that has changed in my kit and workflow.

Diane, not sure about cute but certainly unique. I was fortunate to be able to get this close and tried to show the bird as a beautiful part of nature.