White Throated Kingfisher with Catch

[subramanya_ck]

White Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Shot near Harohalli Lake, Bangalore Outskirts, India

Canon40D, CanonEF 500 f/4 + 1.4E, shot from Car


Critics & Comments are most Welcome

[David Fletcher]

Love this Subramanya. Love the comp and placement and the foliage on the perch adds interest too. Blacks are getting a little lost, but dinner a huge bonus.

[Stu Bowie]

Interesting looking KF, and I like the angle and pose. His grub is a bonus, and what a great BG. Have you tried to bring out some more detail from the darker plumage?

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the soft light, perch, sharpness and BG and the food item adds to it. Another vote for trying to get more details in the blacks.

[Fabs Forns]

Very painterly composition and great action. Agree you can lift the EXP a little more. Thanks for sharing, well done!

[Arthur Morris]

Subramanya, Welcome to BPN and thanks a ton for your membership support. This is a great image of a bird that I have never seen in life or in a photograph. Way cool. Love the COMP and careful design of the image. And that far green larva is killer. I can't wait to see more from you.

Is Bangalore part of India???

[subramanya_ck]

Thanks all for your kind words and suggestions. Let me assure that I wil honestly try to do better in coming days. Dear Arthur, yes Bangalore is a city in India. I hope I will be able to meet your expectations..:)

[Kiran Poonacha]

Lovely Image Suudu, all nits covered above, this is a great place to learn, keep them coming. I am too from Bangalore Guruji...

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks all for your kind words and suggestions. Let me assure that I wil honestly try to do better in coming days. Dear Arthur, yes Bangalore is a city in India. I hope I will be able to meet your expectations..:)

Hi Again Subramanya-bhai,

Thanks for the info. I have no expectations as I know that folks are always doing their best. :)

[Arthur Morris]

Lovely Image Suudu, all nits covered above, this is a great place to learn, keep them coming. I am too from Bangalore Guruji...

Hi Kiran,

#1: What is this?: Suudu

#2: Kiran-bhai,

In my letter to the community (http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...tter+community (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=42327&highlight=letter+community)) I wrote in part:

My closing comments deal with the use of the words "nit," "nits," and "nit-picking" on BPN. I have felt from the beginning that the word "nit-picking" carried negative connotations with it but was never sure so I looked it up in a few on-line dictionaries. Here is a typical definition:

nit·pick·ing n. Minute, trivial, unnecessary, and unjustified criticism or faultfinding.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

While at times some of our suggestions might pertain to minute details, in very, very few instances would they qualify as trivial, unnecessary, or unjustified. When folks state, "Nits already covered," they are implying that the suggestions that were made above were trivial, needless, and unwarranted. Nothing could be further from the truth; someone has simply taken the time to help the poster improve their images. To refer to those efforts as unnecessary or unjustified is insulting. And if folks refer to their own efforts as nit-picking ("This may be nit-picking but...") then they are insulting their own efforts.

There are lots of options that do not carry any negative connotations. Among them are "suggestions," "suggestions for improvement," or "option" (an option might be to clone out the rock). "You might have considered doing this...." or I wish that ...." also work well. Instead of saying, "This might be nit-picking,' you might try "This is a minor point..."

I am asking that each of you refrain from using "nit-picking" (or any of the related forms of the word) in your posts. :) :) :)

Thanks!

ps: Your wonderful images and thoughtful comments are much appreciated.

[Danny Laredo]

This White breasted Kingfisher is so shy, it's really tough to get a proper
image of him perched like this.

The snak is a nice bonus.

I would consider a slight crop of the top and bottom.

[Ajit Huilgol]

Great perch, bg, head turn, and of course, the dinner!