The picture was taken from a boat on a windy day at about 10:00 AM. It was very difficult to steer the boat while taking pictures. I decided to keep my 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens. It is definitely not a sharp lens but VR was a good plus in those conditions.
Nikon D200
1/1000 s
f/5.6
200mm
400 ISO
+ 1 2/3 EV
Fill flash at -1/3
some dodging done to compensate the harsh lighting condition.
You could crop anywhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the space between the loons and the bottom of the frame and also add a tiny bit in front. I also wish the young one had a better head angle. Otherwise very nice! I like the blues here, and the eye contact of the adult.
You did well in harsh light and tough conditions. Yes to a crop from the bottom (and maybe from the top too.) Wish that the youngster's head exactly paralleled the adults.
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