The Boxer..

[dankearl]

600mm (300 w/ 2x), D610, f5.6, 1/320, iso6400

611_8038bp.jpg (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=173306&stc=1&d=1515191717)

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the title and use of DOF Dan! Sharp where it needs to be and the BG is nice and clean. An interesting image for sure, I think I hear Howard Cosell calling a left jab.

[Randy Stout]

Dan:

I like the title, fits well. Creative. Image quality held up well at that ISO, with little smearing or color noise to my eye.

It looks like the point of focus was the birds left shoulder, as the feathers there seem the sharpest.



Randy

[Glenn Pure]

Dan, I very much like this types of shots and have tried myself from time to time. I love the iridescence on the wing feathers and the tack sharp detail on the right side. I feel a whisker more DOF (or slightly different focus point) to bring the eye and surrounds in sharp focus would raise this a notch or two.

[Isaac Grant]

I also very much like these types of shots. Image quality really held up at that ISO. Agree that more depth of field would have been better. However you if would have benefited you more if you were more to your right when shooting this the head of the bird was more parallel to the back of the camera. That would solve 2 issues, it would allow you to have more of the bird in the plane of focus and also it would avoid having such a large area of the front of the frame to be filled up with the out of focus part of the wings. You could then position the eye nicely using a rule of thirds type of formula on the right edge of the frame and leave a bit more room above as well.

[dankearl]

Thanks for the comments,
Isaac, nice and helpful observations. I was laying at the edge of the pond, Going right would be in the water so sometimes as a photographer
you use the best angle possible. I could do nothing about that....
I do agree with Randy, the breast (it is not the wing, the head is turned 180 in this pose), is more in focus than the eye. I could sharpen more but
at 6400 you add noise.
Nikon cameras are a dream for noise if you expose right. even the older ones like the D610. I did only minor NR on the BG, nothing at all on the bird.