Little Cormorant

[Mital Patel]

Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax_niger)
Camera : Nikon D300
Lens : Nikkor 80-400D F-4.5/5.6 ED VR
Exposure : 1/1000sec @ 400mm
Aperture : f/8
ISO Rating : 400
Captured On : June 20 2009, 09:22 am
Location : Thol Bird Sanctuary, Mehsana, Gujarat, INDIA

Feel free for C&C

[Ilija Dukovski]

I like it very much, very good detail on the wings, great for a black bird at this light.
Nice HA and eye contact, the water has pleasing color and texture. Probably you could
do a closer or more cornered crop too to enhance the composition. The line between the dark and
pale BG is right at the head, feature generally to avoid, but still does not distract too much.

[joel quenneville]

Congratulations on capturing a nice pose here. I agree with Ilija's comments above. I like the fact that you included the strip of water in the FG, it adds to the feeling of isolation in a wide expanse of territory and gives your image a certain mood. I agree that the line going through the head is mildly distracting, however this could be smoothed over to reduce its effect (Clone Stamp 40% opacity? Smudge tool?). Finally, I love the interplay of various shades of black on the bird.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Mital...loved the details in black. A closer crop will do this justice IMO. My suggestion is maintain the same height to width ratio by cropping from top and right.

exposure is perfect.

[Richard Stern]

The pose and the details in the feathering are beautiful, and the bird and the grass are nicely sharp. But I too find the demarcation between the dark and the light in the background distracting in the way it seems to bisect the bird's head. Shooting from a higher or lower position, if possible, might have helped.

Richard

[Arthur Morris]

Love the sharpness and the perfect HA and that tiny little cormorant. As for the head intersecting with the BLGR line, all that you needed to do was raise your lens about 3 inches. It is easy to do that by pulling the legs in a bit.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the angle, pose, setting, sharpness and exposure control. A tighter crop would work, too, but I like it as is.

[Fabs Forns]

This is adorable, Mital, love the tiny bill and catch light. Good advise given above, thanks for sharing it.