Welcome Richard!
You will learn lots on BPN!
The image is sharp and I like the open beak.
There are a few issues with this image and I do not want you to be scared off by my comments! remember, this is how we all learn!
The biggest problem with this image is the harsh light.It creates a very contrasty image.The bright sun has really made the beach in the BG very bright and it is quite distracting. The best light to shoot birds in is early am and early evening.
The branch just below the chin is unfortunate.
The far wing position is nice but the bird is angling away from you slightly. A BIF image is always stronger when the bird is looking at you or flying towards you.
Finally, your signature is way too prominent and I would reduce the size and color.
Looking forward to your participation,
Gail
Welcome Richard. I think Gail has given an excellent critique. Only thing I would add is that you have not given any of the details with regard to what camera and lens you have used, nor what work was done in post. All of that helps a great deal when critiquing an image.
Sorry for not including any information. It was, in fact, early evening light and - as is often the case in Oklahoma - a bit too yellow for me so I added a bit of blue. The lens was a Tamron 70-300 VC on a Canon 7DII. It's very slightly cropped but this guy was much more patient than Blue Herons tend to be as he watched me walk along the sand bar toward him so I got pretty close. I've also added a bit of vignetting to draw the viewer to the bird. I agree about that bit of grass in the lower right - I'll get rid of it. And the watermark is not permanent, it's only for web use.
This is not one of my best - I'll post some of them in the future - but it is recent and I enjoyed getting the mouth open. The bird looks a bit ragged (or unhealthy) to me and, as I approached it, I wondered if it was sick or injured because it was not as fidgety as most Blues are.
Thanks for the comments. I'm glad to have found this forum and I look forward to lots of interesting discussion.
I can hear this fella squawking as I look at the image! A fun pose.
Gail has already offered some good advice/suggestions. Don't forget to include exif data to in the future too (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc...). Opening up the aperture, if not done here, would help blur the BG even more to reduce its impact.
OPPS! Looks like I had posted a very early export of the image. I had already made several of the suggested changes but posted the wrong file. The image is now updated with the branch under the chin gone and the background a bit muted. Better?
If I go from memory, yes, the branches now gone are much better. Just an FYI - we permit reposts of the same, reworked, image within the same thread. It helps to compare versions. Have a great upcoming weekend!
The image posted in Pane one on Friday afternoon has a sharp eye. After that it is all downhill: oversaturated, too contrasty, horizon line right through the bird, poor near wing position, plus what Gail said. Do compare your processing with most of the other images posted here... Yours is garish in comparison.
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