barnacle geese

[Jeroen Wijnands]

OK.. First post, here goes. Cropped some at the right and bottom to get a better composition. Some tweaks in levels and contrast. Nikon D300+70-300VR. Looking for suggestion to improve without buying new glass.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4404201001_c19624d099_b.jpg

[Steve Maxson]

Welcome! Both birds look sharp (though I am seeing a sharpening halo around them). I would wish that the rear bird wasn't intersecting the land mass in the background. I would suggest cropping at least half the distance from the bottom of the frame to the wing of the lower goose as it is not adding anything to the comp. You might also want to clone the 2 objects in the water just under the lower bird. Keep them coming! :)

[Richard Stern]

I agree with all Steve's comments. Unfortunately you're going to be a bit limited with the 70-300. It's sharp at f/8, but converters aren't much good, and you'll soon be wishing you could either be closer to the bird, or have bigger glass. I had one, but sold it for a 300mm F/4 + 1.4X TC (more expensive, but much better for birds). Agree- keep 'em coming.

Richard