Common Tern

[Bill Dix]

From Nickerson last year. Admittedly the shaded near wing and body are not ideal, but I thought the shadow of the bill on the far wing added an element of interest.

D500, 500f4 + 1.4 TC, ISO 1250, 1/3200s @ f/9 manual

[gail bisson]

Before reading your comment, I noticed the cool shadow on the wing. I like it!
Nice and sharp and the whites look great (perhaps a tad hot under the chin) but certainly not a deal breaker.
Love the fanned tail and underside view,
Gail

[Arthur Morris]

Excellent self-critique. And I like that the bill is clear of the far wing as well.

with love, artie

[Isaac Grant]

I thought exactly what Artie said. Ideally this bird would've banked just a touch more so you would lose the shadow below the bird or the sun could have been just a little lower in the sky. Flight photography is hard enough, but when you have to worry about shadows and sun angles and backgrounds it gets many times more difficult. It typically takes repeated efforts and continued opportunities to have all of the elements line up perfectly.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I agree with all of you. I will add that the comp is beautifully balanced.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Bill, I love the diagonal placement of the bird/wings in the frame. EX, SH and color all look good. I am not bothered by the shadow, it is not dark and heavy and mimicking the head and bill is interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[annmpacheco]

Well done Bill, all look good and I like the shadow, gives it a bit more interest. Very nice head angle and I like the varied blue BG, good job!

[Dorian Anderson]

Lovely wing position and feather detail, Bill. The soft BG is also very nice. A bit more head turn towards you/us would have been ideal.

[David Seymour]

Beautiful image, Bill. For me there is very little not to like on this one. I love this type of BIF capture where the wings are fully spread out and the tail is fanned as well - really gives that impression of flight. Personally I like the way the head is turned to the bird's left, it looks like the bird is turning that way and perhaps eyeing off its next meal. If this was a human portrait that would be a classic portraiture pose (showing the head profile), and the fact that it's helped create that interesting shadow on the wing is great. The shaded near wing and lower body doesn't bother me much at all (there's still heaps of detail in there), and the contrast of the bird against the dark-ish background is very dramatic.
Cheers, David

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all.