Small Blue Kingfisher

[Girish Prahalad]

Had to crop this really close because of the surrounding clutter. Made this at the coastal town of Mulki in my home state of Karnataka.
Canon 550D + Sigma 150-500mm. Manual | Eval
F 6.3 | ISO 400 | SS 1/250 @ 500 mm.
Levels | Crop | USM | NR on BG.

Critiques & comments most appreciated.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Girish, lovely angled pose here, and good sharpness for your slow ss. Colours look spot on, and I like the smooth BG. Comp wise, I would have moved the little guy further up to the URC. The colours of the beak tell me this is actually a juvenile Malachite Kingfisher. When they are young, they have totally black beaks, which turn bright red in adulthood. Here we can see a transition. I could be totally wrong.

[Bob Serling]

The IQ and clarity are spectacular and the pose couldn't get much better. I love the blue spots on its head. Great shot!

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Excellent detail and sharpness with nice perch and BG. Well done. TFS.