Bird 2

This bird was shot at the Tennessee Aquarium. The hot spots in the

background are floodlights. Too bad they're there but that couldn't

be helped. Comments appreciated.

Very good comp, dof and light great, 6/6

Wonderful !! 6/6

Thanks Jim and Rajeev. I'm pleased you liked it.

I like how the color of the leaves adds to the color of the mandarin duck. Very nice!

Dmitry, thank you for your perceptive comment.

awesome colors. nice compliment and subtlety.

I just cannot believe you got 1s and 2s and 3s and 4s (like the Pireas kids) for this picture. Even with the unwanted highlights the photo is extremely attractive due to warm colours and perfect composition. It is true that the eye keeps moving between the birds head and the lights. I think you can include the floodlights in the 'subject' by working out a better title. This way, fewer people would complain. I like the idea of having two or more interacting centers of interest in a picture (see my presentation 'Relations').(A6/O7)

Darin, thanks for your comment.

Manolis, frankly, I put as much stock into the 1's and 2's as I do into the 7/7's. IMO, this is an average image. If I am able to affect one or two people then I'm happy. Thank you for your perceptive comment.

Pete, I'm surprised no one suggested cropping the bottom half. What is left has great colors and composition. I did notice that the beak tends to get lost in the background.

Thank you Harlow for your insightful comments.

I quite like this one. I think a crop like Harlow suggests would put more focus back on the duck. I really like the background, it complements the subject very well. Too often with wildlife shots not enough concern is given to the background.

Thanks Aaron for your comments. I'll play around a bit and see what I can do.