Fifty Shades Of Brown... Boat-tailed Grackle (f)

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image along Black Point Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island NWR, Merritt Island, Florida. The bird was perched on one of the overhead timbers of a blind. It stayed in place as I approached, I went tight to illuminated the unattractive perch. Most times I try to not use a square crop but in this instance it worked best. 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 400mm (600mm FFE)
1/1250 F/7.1 Matrix Metering +2/3 EV ISO 560 AWB, camera supported by a monopod
Post processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC
Cropped for composition and presentation

[Isaac Grant]

I like the look back pose and the nice blue background. I am a big fan of blue backgrounds but I know others are not. Lighting is a bit harsh on this one and looks like it could be toned down a little. Also the beak and the feathers at the bottom of the frame have some noise evident.

[Randy Stout]

Joe:

Very good critique from Isaac. I don't find the shape of the crop to be a problem, but it is very tight in the frame, could loosen it up a bit for my tastes. Nice catchlight.

Cheers

Randy