Eye to Eye

[Stu Bowie]

A Pied Kingfisher giving me the perfect eye contact. Taken in the Pilanesberg Nature reserve, South Africa. Is the cloud a distraction, or does it add to the boring blue sky.

Canon 50D
100-400 L IS USM @ 400mm
1/2000
F/7.1
ISO 500

Exp Comp +0.33
Hand Held

[Doug Brown]

I like the eye contact! I don't find the cloud overly distracting but it doesn't add much to the image IMO. Some of the whites look a little hot.

[Fabs Forns]

I like the eye contact and the sky is OK to me. I see a faint halo around the bird, probably from S/H.

[Tony Whitehead]

Well done to catch this unusual view, Stuart. Agree with Doug on the hot whites. You could also probably back off the sharpening a bit too.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great head turn and I like the cloud in the BG. I agree regarding whites and S/H halo and wish the far wing were higher up.

[Aidan Briggs]

Love the pose and the cloud in the bg, though I think it could be toned down some. Looks a bit oversharpend to me

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Stuart,
I like the pose you've captured. Cloud doesn't bother me at all. I think I also see a light halo around the bird but I'm not sure.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I agree about the halo around the bird.
The cloud adds to the compo IMO.

Very nice looking bird.

[Dave Barnes]

Ditto halo and sharpening Stu. Is this a big crop? I like the comp and would leave the cloud. Nice comp and eye contact.

[Chris Kotze]

Super pose and great eye contact. I'm 50/50 on the cloud. Ditto halo and I'm sure you will fix this Stu

[Stu Bowie]

Thank you all for your positive feedback and positive crits. Much appreciated.