A Common Kestrel – Male on a lantana bush in my hometown - Bangalore.
Couldn’t go higher to get an unhindered view of the tail as this image was made handheld, sitting
on a scooterette with my legs balancing the vehicle & the upper torso turned 90 degree
towards the right. Also, I was parked just at the edge of a 15 ft dug up pit and any slip ups,
the kestrel would have given me a decent burial
Made with a Canon 450D + 150-500mm.
Exif : F6.3 / ISO 400 / SS 1/250 @ 500 mm ( shot vertical). Manual / Eval
Levels / Crop / USM & NR on BG.
I don't mind the tail being partially hidden. Enough is visible and has room in the foliage. Love the over the shoulder look at you, plus the nice background. I might try burning the back feathers, as they seem a little light on my monitor, but maybe that's a difference in birds. Really a nice image.
Picture perfect. I love the glance over the shoulder as given by red carpet celebrities posing except the kestrel looks better. I love the transitions in background colour from green to brown. The fact that the tail and primaries are covered a bit is of no consequence. This would make a very nice feature photograph in a book or magazine and of course a wall hanging. If you think you should have gone higher then you have been reading too many books. This is excellent!
This a good image with the pale colors of the bird and the light green BG. You have managed to click when the bird had turned which has the eye very visible.