Extreme Focus....

[David Roach]

I spotted this beauty in an interesting hunting position but since I was on the board walk at Green Cay the angle was too steep(looking down on the bird). So, I popped on the 2xtc, walked down the boardwalk and got a reasonable angle. I like this as a bird in environment image. Is busy BG too distracting? This beauty sure was focused on that next meal.
1DMKIIN 400DO 2xtc ISO 400 F11@1/100

[Maxis Gamez]

Love the pose and details. Looks like a heavy crop. I do find the yellow branch in the BG a little distracting but I know is part of the habitat.

[Arthur Morris]

Great pose, color, and head angle. Image quality looks good from here. And sharpness where it counts the most is excpetional. Both the vertical yellow reed and more so, the thinner vertical brown branch are distracting. The latter could easily be taken care of. If the bird was frozen in this pose, moving to a yard your left would have turned the yellow reed from a distraction to a plus as it would have 1/2 framed the subject.

later and love, artie

[David Roach]

Yes Maxis,it's about a 60% crop as I had to walk a distance to get a decent angle. I did burn the yellow reed to tone it down a bit.

[David Roach]

Yes. Artie, the bird was frozen and you make a very good point. Next time.......

[Daniel Cadieux]

Good suugestions already offered. I'll just point out that I love the plumage details along the back. Great pose.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Great comments from above. Love the unique pose you captured here David and many thanks for sharing.

[Glenn Ehmke]

Pose and plumage detail are awsome David!

Maybe the BG is a tad distracting, but I to be honest I think you need to be looking for faults to notice that. For me the pose is so striking that I don't really care about the BG.

Well done.

[Gus Cobos]

David,
I like the image, rich vibrant hues; like the razor sharp details on your bird and the eye contact. I don't have a problem with the background...:D It shows the bird's habitat.

Big Congrats...:)

[Arthur Morris]

All backgrounds show a bird's habitat. That does not stop most of them from being distracting...

later and love, artie

[Haim Ziv]

Fascinating image.