Green Kingfisher (female) - perch #2

[Jeannean Ryman]

This is the same bird from Friday, just a different perch at the same pond. I'm trying to move around and get the best background possible when I can. The kingfisher flew to four different perches. Two had crummy backgrounds, so I waited for it at one of the two I've posted. I cropped it similar to the previous repost and worked on the eye to hopefully bring it out, while still leaving it natural looking. Shooting conditions: partly cloudy with a little bit of tree shade with Nikon D7000/500mm f/4-P on Gitzo 3541LS and Jobu Black Widow MK-II @1/640, f/6.3, ISO 320. Your comments, suggestions, and critiques are most appreciated!

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely image with terrific details, good head angle and a nice clean BG. THe only thing I would do to this image is to take a sliver off of the right side to make it a tad more vertical.

[Joel Eade]

I would agree, this one is better and the repost takes it up a notch for sure. I like the pose and exposure looks perfect. The gradient of color in the BG is very cool. Kudos!

[Jeannean Ryman]

Wow, Peter, the removal of the top part of the perch looks a lot better! I didn't even notice it, so thank you. I'll have to keep at the eye "fix". Yours looks better than my attempt. Appreciate your comments folks!

[dankearl]

You should have posted this in the Avian forum.
This is beyond Eager to Learn.
Most Avian photographers would be ecstatic with a photo of this species that is this good.
I would just darken the tip of the bill a bit, it was out of the DOF, and probably sharpened as much as possible.
Darkening it will make appear sharper.
Excellent photo!

[Faraaz Abdool]

Amazing work, Jeannean. Didn't think that you could top the last shot, but you did here. Peter's RP showed me things I didn't even know existed.

[Bob Miller]

HI jeannean! Wonderful shot of a hard to photograph species...Everything about it shines. For the eye fix, you could try using a layer set to screen blending mode followed by a black mask ...then paint in the eye lighter and fine adjust with opacity. Hope that is of some use!

[Travis Reid]

Excellent. they are so hard to get close too..