Displaying Long-tailed Widowbird

[Arno Ellmer]

Image created past February at the Rietvlei Nature Reserve ,Pretoria.
I thought the environment framed the bird nicely. Is the crop too tight ?

Canon MkIV
500mm f4 +1.4x
f/6.3
1/2500
ISO 800
EC +1/3
Hand held

All c&c very welcome

[Ofer Levy]

I love this! Lovely natural perch, excellent light and exposure control. Love the composition too. Would consider cloning out the grass crossing the lower part of the tail.

[Doug Brown]

Excellent pose and nice composition. I like the habitat, but agree with Ofer that the image would be stronger if you removed the grass crossing the tail feathers at the bottom of the frame.

[Bill Dix]

Wonderful capture. Great comp and exposure. I like the contrasting curves of tail and grass. I don't think the crop is too tight, except that if a tiny bit more room on the right would complete the grass heads it might be worth it. Nicely done.

[Mikko Viljamaa]

Well exposured Arno. Great details and not too tight for my taste. If this would be mine, I would clone out that grass left from the bird, so that I would have more room in direction where the bird is looking at.

Mikko

[Scott Grant]

I don't think your choice of crop it too tight either.

The diagonal line of the tail feathers to bird makes this image quite attractive for me. i would second removing the blade of grass crossing the tail feather if it isn't against your ethics.

[Dudley Watson]

Nice composition and detail in the blacks especially the eye contact which is difficult for this bird VWD

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Arno, comp works for me, and I like how the WB is framed in the fork of the grasses. Good job on the blacks, and another vote for removing the grass from the tail. Cheers.

[Pieter de Waal]

Nice work on the exposure Arno. I like the grasses and the crop is just right for that long tail.

[Jim Crosswell]

Beautiful image Arno! I like the grasses, BG and pose. Another vote to remove the grass across the lower part of the tail.