Optimist

The Darter having a go at lining the fish up.
1DXII 600mm F/4L III 1.4x III 840mm HH
1/1600 f10 iso800
Cropped, levels, S&H, NR to BG, protected the whites. Light sharpen. PS2019

Great action and I like the water droplet.
Light is quite harsh and makes the blacks look a bit crunchy.
I like your first image way better!
Gail

Nice catch Colin! I agree with Gail's comments. I also find the composition slightly awkward personally. I'd like more space at the bottom of the frame and just a hair off the top. Other than that, I love the prey item and the wide open beak. The BG adds interest too. Well done!

Colin:

Outstanding action, drop, lovely background all good. Yes, a bit unbalanced re: comp, but still very effective because of the action timing.

Agree with Gail about the harsh light.

I think Henri Cartier-Bresson would like it.

Cheers

Randy

Maybe this is a better crop, and I have attempted to subdue the light a little. The bird being wet made it difficult to bring colors out.
Thanks for the comments/suggestions, appreciated.

Quite the frame Colin! Perfect timing. The repost gives up a little too much sharpness, and there seems to be a halo around the fish.

Colin, nice action shot, first post is better, maybe a square crop in this instance?

-Tim

For impact, I prefer the original post. Image quality is not the best.

with love, artie