Last Willet-for a while

[Brian Barcelos]

Went back to the marsh this morning hoping for the resident osprey couple but it seems they've abandoned their nest.:( So instead I went to visit the willet's. This time they let me come in a lot closer. Not sure if the BG is a bit too busy? I was hoping the willet would have moved a few feet away from me and I would of had a much nicer BG. I cropped a little from both top and bottom. Also lightened the eye a little. Give me your honest opinions. Thank you,
Brian



Canon EOS 20D
Aperture-Priority
Tv 1/1250
Av 7.1
Evaluative Metering
Exp Comp 0
ISO 400
Tamron 200-500mm@295

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

I feel the eye could be a little lighter perhaps? I like the pose and colors overall. The BG can be blurred, and while personally I don't do it for 99.999% of my images, it cab optimize special images like this one for sure. The light appears a little harsh to me.

Thanks for sharing.

[Brian Barcelos]

Akos, Thanks for the kind comments. I tried lightening the eye more but it looked unnatural to me. Maybe with some practice? The light was pretty harsh, pic was taken at around noon and not a cloud in sight. Tomorrow morning(2 A.M. here) I'll attempt to blurr BG.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the angle and details. The harsh light made this a challenge since there is no catchlight and the shadow of the bill on the bird's back. In softer light this would have been stronger. I would run NR on the BG.