Double-crested Cormorant

[Raul Quinones]

I rented the 70-200/2.8L IS lens, and I love it, still in my wish list... but I would not been adding it to my gear anytime soon.
This is a full frame, I was tempted to add canvas to the left side, but I was not sure if it was going to improve much the composition.

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL, 70-200mm IS 2.8
1/1250Sec, F2.8, 190.0 mm, Exp. Comp.+1, ISO 100


Anhinga Trail, ENP @ 12/12/2006 13:440

[Fabs Forns]

Compo looks good to me. I wouldn't add if it were mine. Let's see other opinions. Great DOF where needed :)
I'd be tempted to go a bit darker, though...

[Milo Burcham]

Beautiful portrait..., that eye is something else! A slight change in the head angle (pointed more towards us) is the main thing that would improve it in my mind.

[David Kennedy]

I agree with Milo re: the head angle. Also, the hard angle in the lower RH corner (the railing at Anhinga Trail, I presume?) is distracting.

Not sure that I would really encourage the purchase of the f/2.8 version of the 70-200mm....I owned one (the non-IS) and was happy to sell it because it simply weighed too much. The 70-200mm f/4 (and it's IS cousin) is amazing. And lightweight!

[Phil Bayley]

For what its worth, here is a very fast addition to the left side of the canvas (a fast blend), a crop from the top, a slight darkening and a clean-up of the throat bottom. The replies mentioned some of them, so I thought I'd show what could be done (better with more time).

[Daniel Cadieux]

Man I wish the cormorant's head angle was better...you probably would have had better light on the eye as well if that was the case. Also stopping down on the aperture would have rendered the OOF back of head and neck more into focus. Compsition-wise I prefer the first, but with the fixed LRC of the repost :-)

[Gus Cobos]

Raul,
Super capture and composition...I LIKE IT THE WAY IT IS...:D

[Juan Aragonés]

The comp works fine her IMO. The main points of attention in this image are that fabulous green gem-like eye and the bill and I do not think that adding more canvas would improve the result. I would keep in the way you presented. Great detail but I agree with the comments regarding a different angle. Maybe is just my monitor but it looks you have a very slight bluish cast. Nice job Raul :)

[Marina Scarr]

Raul...I agree with Robert on the 2.8,. I had mine for almost a year and just sold it b/c it was simply TOO heavy to hand-hold for long periods of time. I have substituted it for the 70-200 F4L IS version and it's like night and day. I wish I had talked to some bird photographers before purchasing it in the first place.

Love the picture. The eye looks like an emerald.