still water

[stuart wanuck]

nikon d 300 iso 400
m 1/1250@6.3
200-400 mm lens

[Bill Jobes]

Beautiful exposure and sharpness on one cool bird, Stuart !
I know we can't always control these things, but the cluster of plants, to my eye, competes for attention and undermines the beauty of the bird.
In a 'perfect world,' moving to the right, if possible, would have solved this.
The foliage behind only the body, or part of it, would add environmental perspective, if the head and neck were in the clear.

[David Gancarz]

Very nice exposure, capturing details in blacks and whites. I don't know that I would have thought of Mr. Jobe's comment about the arrowroots on the left competing for attention, but the more I look at it I begin to see his point. Ah ... the quest for the perfect shot! You could probably post process out the three leaves starting at the brownish one just behind the tip of the bill and working left. Maybe all five if you're truly ambitious :). Artie's digital basics masking technique work well for me. I'd also be inclined to remove the foreground objects in the lower left. All the same, its a fantastic capture in my book.

[Julie Kenward]

It is most definitely exposed very well! I love all the detail of the black feathers - something that sometimes eludes me! I think the problem with the plans might be that the long lenses tend to condense everything together so plants that look far off end up being practically on top of the bird. I don't mind them that much - they do add a sense of environment - you might try to tone down the brightness of the green and see if that helps minimize the pull of the eye.

[Dave Leroy]

I really like the idea of the shot. well done.
For me the merging of the leaves and head and neck area is a bit distracting so a lower angle if possible may have been another idea.
Nice and sharp with lots of detail.
I am not too familiar with these birds so I wonder if the legs are a bit off colour. Not sure.
Well exposed.