Western Grebe vs. Mosquito

[Mike Milicia]

EOS-1D Mk II, 500mm f/4L, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 200
About 55% of Full Frame

I'm working through some older images trying to find ones that will work with a square crop.
Found this one and thought I'd share it.

Photographed last May at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah.
I liked the pose but I had no idea what prompted it until I downloaded the images.

Looking forward to your comments and critiques !

[Alfred Forns]

Excellent exposure on the whites Mike !!!! I'm undecided on the reflection here It is a good one but it also looks very strong without it !!! Interesting what others might think !!!

Love the prominent eye and overall sharpness !!!!

[Keith Bauer]

One of those great moments in nature that you were able to capture! Nicely done. As noted, nice job on the whites. I like the reflection but the image is very strong without it.

[Tony Whitehead]

Lovely, Mike. I would go landscape to remove the reflection and home in on the red eye focussing on the mozzie.

[Jim Fenton]

Mike...

This one is such a special moment ...absolutely love it :)

[David Hemmings]

This is sweet Mike, I like the composition in this because I think the blue vertical lines in the water would be too strong on a horizontal, wonderful details and colors and that mosquito is a bonus!

[Glenn Bartley]

Pretty neat seeing the mosquito in there. Im not crazy about the lines in the water though.

[Steve Maxson]

Mike, I really like this one and the mosquito (or midge?) makes it unique. I like the reflection and the vertical format more than the horizontal. If it was mine, I might crop on the left and maybe a bit on the right to really give it a vertical look. On my monitor, the red in the eye is almost a glowing neon - maybe tone down a bit?