"Fast Food Pickup"

[Allen Sklar]

I saw the Eagle perched on a sand dune as I drove the beach, it's focus was on the water where I saw a fisherman had left his discarded bait. Stopped my truck near the bait and crouched down in back of the tailgate. Within seconds the bird was there.
ss 1/1000 F 8 Iso 200 80-200 2.8

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZfDQThT/1/L/i-ZfDQThT-L.jpg

[Randy Stout]

Allen:

Great pose, talons look pretty impressive, good angle in frame, clean foreground, somewhat unusual shorebird habitat, soft light. Nicely exposed and sharp.

It is framed a bit tight for my tastes, esp above. I would prefer more to the right as well, it would strengthen the feeling of approaching prey, even if no prey is in the frame.

Cheers

Randy

[Don Lacy]

Absolutely love the pose and light here agree 100% with Randy on the framing. It is to bad many members will never open this image without a thumbnail to draw their attention that alone is worth the 20.00 to become a member so you can post on BPN's server

[Allen Sklar]

Thank you Randy and Don for the comments. There is no room above the wing tip but plenty on either side, the bird occupies the center of the top half of the frame. It is interesting and enlightening to post images here, as I have never offered my work to a "critical" audience. I know that it takes time to think about an image and I appreciate that you are offering expertise beyond my humble talents. I seem to know intrinsically when an image is good, but I have always been at a loss for words to explain why, your eyes are helping me greatly. I still don't feel comfortable critiquing others work, perhaps after absorbing comments about my own images I will feel more confident! Thanks again.
allen

[Randy Stout]

Allen:

Critiquing other folks images is one of the best ways to train your eyes, because it forces you to really think about what you think works, and what doesn't, and why. Please feel free to make comments on other folks images, just tell us what you do like, and if something jumps out at you that doesn't work for you, let us know that too. It is refreshing to have a new set of eyes looking at images, because it is easy to get into a rut about what is proper, and what isn't. There are lots of guidelines about what makes an effective image, but trying alternatives is a great way to learn and grow!

Cheers

Randy

PS; It would be fairly easy to add canvas to the top of your image. A bit of post processing work. I spent about 3 minutes doing this slight revision. You could add more to taste.