Swallow-tailed kite

[Raul Quinones]

Another Swallow-tailed pic.

Blacks are noisy (trying to recover some detail), lack of detail (large crop), I like the pose.
I have been trying to get a decent shot from this species for couple years now, but this guys have not given me many opportunities. Maybe this summer I will get a decent picture.

1/6400, F5.6, ISO 400, 400mm
Okeeheelee Park, West Palm Beach, FL @ 4/25/2009

C/C appreciated, Raul

[Doug Brown]

Super pose; you even got an open beak. Overall the image quality suffers from the heavy crop. Since you're already high-key, I'd push the exposure even further to the right, perhaps 2/3 or even a full stop.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Pose and eye contact are great. I agree regarding positive EC that would have helped with the blacks and stopping down might have helped with the DOF.

[Phil Ertel]

Good advice above. I do like the composition and pose.