Red-tailed Hawk Taking Off

Sony A850~Sony 70-400G@300mm~ISO 1600~1/1600sec~F5.6~manual exposure~HH~overcast~1-4-2011~Brays Bayou, Houston, Texas~CS5~Redfield Fractalius~
comments and critique welocmed. regards~Bill

my website

Beautiful high key look Bill. The grass at the bottom is sweet. Love the killer pose and the details!

Love the pose and comp, Bill! It really emphasizes the upward thrust of the hawk as he launches himself into the sky. Well done!

Very nice comp and pose. Well done!

Bill, this is lovely as always. I do have a challenge for you, though...

Although I like the soft, high key look, I find the bird is getting a little lost in all the softness. I suggest brightening the yellow of his eye and legs just a bit more so the viewer's eye instantly is drawn to him. It doesn't have to be anything brash - just a little more pop and saturation to those two areas.

Wonderful shot. Love the composition!!! Simple, unified colors. Great position of the hawk--dynamic. I was going to suggest saturation, contrast and curves adjustments to brighten up the image and bring some light to the hawk's head. Jules' suggestion might do the same. There is a Red Tailed Hawk that visits us, sitting on a branch over our meadow. I can see him from my desk.