Willet

I took this at Fort De Soto last December. I sat down on the north beach to take a break and this guy decided to just stand there and pose for me , so i couldnt say no.
5DIII 400mm f5.6 @f7.1 , 1/2500 and iso 400.
Willet by Stuart Edwards, on Flickr

Stuart, just a quick note that I like this pic -- especially the frozen water and splash - nice capture with that. Can't tell where the sun is coming from -- maybe almost head on? The reason I ask is that it looks like the back of the bird is in a bit of a shadow. Nothing you can do about those things sometimes -- you take the best pic that is presented to you.

Andrew

A nice shot of the bird with a great pose - the wait was worth it!. The frozen water really adds something, but the small amounts of really intense dark blue on the highlights seem a bit out of place.

The usual processing and composition C & C can be discussed about the image - but it is lovely image and the water really adds to the shot

To start with I'd try giving the bird more space and bringing up the shadows, (locally) on the wings and tail ..... then add a little saturation/vibrance, just a touch to see if it bring more life to the bird ...... and process little by little from there

a lesson I am learning is initially crop bigger than you think you need .. so that you can re-visit