This Blue Angel (Belted Kingfisher ) was doing a fly-by ,as all the Tortuga viewed the show and tanned in the Mid day sun .
I did some cropping on this ,around 50 % . selective NR , and did a levels adjustment . A bit of burning here and there as well .
I tend to do more close ups than landscapes , so any thoughts at all will help . Exif data
Clyde- I find this one humorous and intriguing, Kingfisher's arn't exactly slow, nor do they follow a predictable path. Timing looks spot on for the scene, and focus looks good on that tiny bird at 50%. I feel the lighting is the killer here, glare and contrast overwhelm the image. (Hazy, high sun?) A polarizer will help control glare and hotspots, but only to a certain degree. As with most things photographic, it's all about the light. This is one of those damned if you do and damned if you don't pictures- I for one enjoyed seeing it. Crop is an example only as it would be too much on a percentage basis.
This is a hard subject to capture but the essence of this picture is not the Kingfisher it is the moment in time with all the surrounding habitat. To that extent you should consider taking some off the top and removing the dark blotch on the edge. With such a large crop the IQ did suffer but the moment is wonderful. Look at different cropping options limiting some of the negative space on the bottom as well.
The whites on the birds neck look hot a faster shutter would have helped. The mid-day sun can make it challenging as you know the morning and evening light is what we live for. Still love to see these guys in action and they are very territorial as you know - keep em coming and show us some of your close up pics.
The Air Show
