Young Red Tail

Nice crisp image of a young Red Tail

Hi Mark,
At the size posted the details look sharp and well exposed. The burnt out whites in the background are a big distraction in my opinion.

Ronnie G.

This looks good, Mark, but it needs to be posted a little larger. I don't know what software you're using, but you want to adjust the size of the image to 720 pixels in the largest direction. You can also post a larger version with 1200 pixels in the larger direction, if you wish. At this resolution it looks nice and sharp. The exposure looks good, though the light bg is a bit of a pain. However, you have the hawk dominating the frame sufficiently that the white sky isn't too distracting. You must have really gotten close for this one.

As others have noted, it would be easier to judge the shot at a larger size. The high whites in the background are a bit of a distraction, and the angle you were at has the big branch coming out of the bird's head, which looks a little funky. But otherwise, the exposure, comp and sharpness are very good.

Hi Mark. I like the way he's perched between the limbs of the tree. Great view of the talons. There does seem to exist a general coolness towards white sky backgrounds in the minds of most avian photographers. I guess I agree with the general esthetics of that, white just isn't that attractive, generally. However, as the current saying goes, "it is what it is", birds perch in trees and the sky is often white and maybe we need to get over it. Compositionally, might give him a little more room below and in front. I'm seeing a fair number of red-tails recently, but they always seem to be just out of reach.

Thanks for all the comments. I appreciate the feedback!

I will make some attempts at reducing the whites (using PSE-8).