Great BLue Heron

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image a while back. In going through my files, deleting some, re-editing others I revisited this image. The crop is full frame with a little canvas added at the top for composition.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 VRII AF shot at 125mm (187mm FFE)
1/2500 F/8 ISO 1100

[Randy Stout]

Joe:

Sharp, well exposed, good pose showing lots of separation, very even lighting.

In general, an image is more engaging if the subject is flying/angled towards us. Sometimes a story telling image can work well without that, but usually you need something for the bird to be pursuing or interacting with.

Cheers

Randy

[arash_hazeghi]

I like the light and sharp details and the view of the feet but with bird flying steeply away from us this one is not a keeper in my book

TFS

[Binu John]

Nice shot, Joseph! Excellent exposure, light and details and beautiful background! TFS

[John Rowell]

Great job with the details on this GBH Joe, but I have to agree with others that flying away from the viewer doesn't make for an optimal image.

[Diane Miller]

Even though it's not obvious what he's flying toward or away from (a photographer, maybe??), it would be a keeper for me. There may be certain characteristics to be desirable in a bird shot, but I don't think every shot should have to have just exactly a certain head angle or fit certain rules. Sometimes a different take is refreshing. The wings here are very interesting, it's sharp, the DOF is good and I like the slightly high-key tonality. I might try to darken or punch up the head and forward neck a little, to help balance the visual weight of the wings.

[John Robinson]

I partly agree with the above comments. However I reckon a drop in gamma would beef this up to advantage.
Just my take
JohnR

EDIT
I posted this before Diane's comments. We seem in agreement/
.

[David Kenny]

I may not be on the same level as others here but I would keep this one. The whole bird is sharp and in focus and you can still see its eye. You captured a tremendous amount of detail in its wings. Its different but again I would keep it.

[arash_hazeghi]

I think this is a good educational thread and a good example. A flight shot is not just about getting the bird sharp, that is not difficult. Of course sharpness is necessary, but it is not sufficient to make a flight shot great. A bird flying away does not make a connection to the viewer in most cases as Randy mentioned first. Just like when you photograph a person, you don't usually photograph them from behind with the back of their head towards the camera, but you have them look at the camera or at least have some eye contact. In this case there is no connection and there is also no other element to tell a story or add interest.

Also being different does not necessary make a photo interesting or better, unless there is a reason behind the difference. No one makes a car with five wheels only for the sake of being different.

On a side note, I think most of our members value this site because of honest critique, there are many internet sites where you can get many "great shot dude!" kind of comments but BPN is not one of them. We strive not to be like that and that is our mission. That's why our members who are open to critique see the quality of their work improve with time.

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to the next one.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thank you all for viewing, commenting and suggesting improvements.

Randy and Arash, I do agree and understand why this image should not make the cut. Sometimes you wish the bird had turned just a little bit more or turned his head back to look. It is the eye that captures and holds the viewers attention. It is the same as a person looking away from you or having eye contact with you. Thank you for your input and explanation.