Royal Tern; Winter Plumage

[Garry McCarthy]

Royal Tern flaring for a landing, La Jolla, California, 12/24/2009.

Nikon D300 with Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF; f/4.0; 1/2500; ISO: 400; -0.33 exposure compensation. Hand-held.

PP: Cropped top and bottom; added some canvas to the right; cleaned up some background distractions.

Thanks for looking.

[Fabs Forns]

Big welcome to BPN, Gary, very nice post, with beautiful pose from the Tern. Good PS job and eye contact. Only wish the eyes were more visible, though I know that is difficult in these birds.
I may have placed the bird higher in the frame, rather than centered.
Thanks for sharing!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the wing position, sharpness and BG. Another vote for putting the bird a tad higher in the frame and would run NR on the BG.