Big D

[Daniel Belasco]

I call this image "Big D" because of the diagonal composition. Maybe stretching it a little...
This image of the Tricolored Heron originally included the full reflection. However there were some ripples in the water in the reflection and the colors wasn't what I was hoping for. So I decided to do this horizontally and without the reflection.
For those not familiar with my images, I go more for the mood of that I'm trying to convey more than birds against a clear sky.
There wasn't much light for this shot just before sunset.

canon 1d 100-400 f5.6 lens @350mm f5.6 1/500 sec iso 800

[Doug Brown]

I like the color and habitat. But the bird is soft and the head is somewhat lost in the wing and the body. This image just doesn't work for me.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

The pose is interesting, angle is good, too. I find the BG distracting and wish for a bit more eye contact.