common sandpiper

[christopher galeski]

stood in river to get this shot,as it was calling stood on rock,around midday.cannon 40d,400mm prime lens,1/1600 sec,f5.6,iso400,handheld.cropped.

[Doug Brown]

Hi Christopher. I like the open bill pose and the draped vegetation on the rock. I wish the head angle had been slightly more towards you. The bird's head gets a little lost in the white spots of water. Lastly I would crop away the bottom 1/4 of the image since the FG is a little distracting and doesn't add anything to the photo IMO. Thanks for posting!

[Arthur Morris]

The image is relatively sharp and the open bill is a plus. Doug has covered many of the problems. You need to be aware of the position of the bird's head when you press the shutter button. Do see the Head Angle Police thread in Educational Resources. Lastly, the rock behind the bird's butt is yet another big distraction.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I also like the open bill and details. Adding to the other comments, I would clone out the specular highlights and tone down the highlights on the bird's chest. Keep them coming!