Pictured in South Bay, Kaikoura, New Zealand, this shag offered an opportune moment for me. As a very inexperienced photographer birds are an area I haven't delved into much, but do enjoy the opportunity when they arise.
I like the pose and perch. The light angle is not ideal. It would have been better to photograph earlier or later and have the sun in your back. The whites look borderline overexposed. A slightly higher angle would have given you a more uniform BG.
Thanks for all the comments. This shot was taken at probably the worst time of the day, 11:08am. The sun was high and to get this shot I had the sun out to my left. Using my Canon 300mm f/4.0L IS USM lens with a Tamron 1.4xTC meant I was probably a little closer to my subject than I would liked to have been. I also haven't found the 'sweet spt' of the combination lenses yet given they are both very new to me. I probably would have been better increasing the ISO, and increasing the shutter speed, maybe getting to f/8.0 as well. I'll have a play in Photoshop and lighten it up a little.
Model: Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Shutter Speed: 1/640 second
F Number: F/5.6
Focal Length: 420 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Date Picture Taken: Mar 8, 2008, 11:08:35 AM