Red-tailed Hawk Taking Off

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Sony A850~Sony 70-400G@300mm~ISO 1600~1/1600sec~F5.6~manual exposure~HH~overcast~1-4-2011~Brays Bayou, Houston, Texas~CS5~Redfield Fractalius~
comments and critique welocmed. regards~Bill

my website

[denise ippolito]

Beautiful high key look Bill. The grass at the bottom is sweet. Love the killer pose and the details!

[Christopher Miller]

Love the pose and comp, Bill! It really emphasizes the upward thrust of the hawk as he launches himself into the sky. Well done!

[Andrew McLachlan]

Very nice comp and pose. Well done!

[Julie Kenward]

Bill, this is lovely as always. I do have a challenge for you, though...

Although I like the soft, high key look, I find the bird is getting a little lost in all the softness. I suggest brightening the yellow of his eye and legs just a bit more so the viewer's eye instantly is drawn to him. It doesn't have to be anything brash - just a little more pop and saturation to those two areas.

[Anita Bower]

Wonderful shot. Love the composition!!! Simple, unified colors. Great position of the hawk--dynamic. I was going to suggest saturation, contrast and curves adjustments to brighten up the image and bring some light to the hawk's head. Jules' suggestion might do the same. There is a Red Tailed Hawk that visits us, sitting on a branch over our meadow. I can see him from my desk.