Clark's Grebe Portrait

[Luis Villablanca]

This Sunday I had a chance to shoot this bird up close while it was fishing.
I was shooting from a peer and could not move farther away from it so I did a few head shots.

http://luisv.smugmug.com/photos/800864708_riCgm-XL.jpg
Canon 7D, 500L + 1.4x TC, 1/3200s, f/7.1, ISO 400, manual exposure, cropped for composition.

--
Luis

[Ofer Levy]

Excellent exposure control, sharpness and detail. Would crop off the bottom to make it a horizontal rather then a square and maybe sharpen the tip of the beak a bit more.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Good sharpness, eye contact and exposure control, the droplets add to it. I agree regarding a crop off the bottom, maybe so much that the lower brown band is gone.

[arash_hazeghi]

Looks good Luis, nice and sharp agree with Ofer and Axel comments

[Steve Maxson]

Great exposure control with excellent detail in both blacks and whites, Luis. Very good sharpness (except bill tip as noted above) and the sparkling water drops are a big plus. I like the gentle curve of the neck and it would be a shame, IMO, to crop any of it to avoid a square crop (I don't mind square crops when they fit the subject material). :) Instead, you could add some room on the right, if desired. If you wanted to remove the somewhat distracting dark band at the bottom, this could be readily accomplished with a few quick masks. Well done.

[Kiran Poonacha]

Beautiful details, loved the expo and that eye makes this for me...

[Jeroen Wijnands]

As a newbie here I am a bit reluctant to criticize but I find it a touch too dark. I'd push this about 2/3 of a stop I think or do some selective work on the darker areas.

[Jim Crosswell]

That red eye is amazing! Excellent exposure and well taken.

[Luis Villablanca]

Thanks everyone!
I appreciate and agree with all your comments. I wish the bill had been more in focus, but the DOF was a bit too shallow due to the proximity.
Anyway, here is another version with the suggested improvements.

http://luisv.smugmug.com/photos/802850569_CcS9k-O.jpg

--
Luis

[Ray Rozema]

Excellent detail and exposure. Like the repost.
where was this taken?

Thanks Ray

[Luis Villablanca]

Thanks Ray. This was taken from the boat ramp located at the end of the Palo Alto Baylands.


Excellent detail and exposure. Like the repost.
where was this taken?

Thanks Ray

[Myer Bornstein]

Great detail and the re-post is better

[Marina Scarr]

Your grebes are always gorgeous, and this one is no exception. I personally prefer the repost b/c it gives more emphasis to your subject yet you still have stunning BG.