Photo taken last fall at the International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wi USA.
D80 HH 370mm on Sigma 50-500
ISO 200 f/10 1/500 aperture priority
About 1/3 cropped off to remove some background
Hmmm...the biggest issue to me is the blown highlights in the neck area. Like the color of the background the the bird. I would sharpen it a bit. Composition-wise I would suggest crop a bit tighter, some off the right and the top. The shadow of the head on the body could be a problem, too. Shooting under bright sunlight may not be a good thing :)
Good comments by Desmond and agree !! Biggest problem is the harsh light and not much you can do about it !!
Image is over exposed and needs to be sharper ! Would have gone for a similar crop but vertical and keep head out of center frame .. btw reduce saturation on red channel a bit, digital does it on its own.
Hi Richard, great subject but all key points have been addressed by Al and Desmond.
Be very aware when shooting whites in harsh light the odds are great you will blow the highlights or greatly reduce the amount of detail that could be brought out with better light.