royzart

You're right. I just checked my own bluebird photos. Our northeastern bluebird females aren't as blue as yours in South Carolina.

Use some fill flash. It's a pain to carry more equipment into the field, but the results are worth the effort.

This is a shot of nesting behavior, and the fact that the face is hidden does not detract from it. If the bird were perched in a static pose, that would be a different matter.

 

I will be pedantic and ornithological here and note that the bird is a male, not a female, The males prepare the nests.

 

Thanks for posting these. As a member of the small local bluebird restoration crew, I am now really looking forward to seeing some pairs at our boxes in Connecticut.

It's a moth actually, possibly an Orange Swallow-tailed Moth.

This is a great catch . The action is a departure from the norm for great blue heron pictures.

Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

 

Smaller owls do seem to tolerate human presence better than the larger species such as the Great Horned.

 

You didn't really get this with a 35mm lens, did you?

C'mon. Shooting a bird in flight is never easy. You're on the mark with exposure, focus, composition.

 

 

This is a butterfly, a Peck's Skipper which is abundant in the northeastern US this time of year.

 

The out-of-focus background emphasizes the colors of both the thistle blossom and the butterfly. However, my personal preference would be an emphasis on the butterfly.

This is an utterly fantastic image.The out-of-focus background makes the bird pop out.

 

My only quibble is the border, an addition whixh, in principle, I feel is unnecessary.

Aesthetically, you've captured one of the quntessential lab expressions.

 

Technically, whether by choice or by chance, the lighting is on the mark for this subject. Labrador hair can really suck up the light. Through the use of available light, you've avoided the dreaded pet eye that comes from using flash.

 

As a lab lover myself, I can easily give this one 10/10.

I keep looking for something to quibble about in this picture, but I don't see any shortcomings at all. The critical elements are sharp, the out-of-focus background enhances the central subject, and the exposure is right on target. And, you've captured a moment of behavior.

This is a shot to be proud of. You've gotten behavior at the peak of the action and you were able to get close enough to use a 300. Herons, in my experience, do not tolerate the human presence well, but you have here a young bird (the color of the upper bill is the key) which perhaps has not yet developed the wariness of its elders.

I should have heeded my own advice and checked one of the field guides.

 

This is a male Blue Dasher, not an Eastern Pondhawk.

 

Nonetheless, the picture is still a remarkable one.

A great catch. The shape of odes does not often lend itself to the vertical format, but you've got it down nicely.

 

My one quibble is that it's a male - Eastern Pondhawk. If you don't already have it, "Common Dragonflies of Wisconsin" by Legler and Westover should be readily available.

As an image, I think this is great.

 

In going through the other insect pictures you've posted, I note the distinct advantage your D30 has over the G1 in putting the background out of focus and, therefore, making it less distracting.

 

And I'm really envious that you got a Baltimore!

Your patience was well rewarded with this image. Behavioral shots of birds and other wildlife are fascinating.

While I do find the leaf on the right to be a little distracting, I still consider this shot to be a keeper. Odonates such as these damselflies (they're bluets of some sort, I believe) are difficult to approach and do not often position themselves for the convenience of the photographer.

 

I find no problem with the softness in the legs of the female. The critical elements of the picture are in focus. Macro shots in the field often demand that some compromise be made. You've gotten close enough to fil the frame with what's important at an opportune moment.

Not only did you get the red throat but you also got a catchlight in the eye. That little detail can make or break a picture of these guys.

Great catch - subject position, vertical format and exposure all come together. And you kept detail in the breast - not an easy feat with white plumaged birds.

While I, too, would prefer a closer shot of the avocet, I know from experience that birds often have ideas other than posing cooperatively when approached. Nonetheless, this is still a shot I would not discard.

 

Your image 742259 and the Attack of the Egret folder are fantastic.

Unfortunately, the background shows that this bird is in an enclosure. A different position or a wider aperture would have overcome this shortcoming.

These birds are darned tough to photograph. You are to be commended for this one.

 

My only quibbles are the black border which overwhelms the picture and a an apparent lack of sharpness in the chick.

This picture is elegant in its simplicity. The one little detail that helps the image is the catchlight in the creature's eye.

 

A tighter cropping would, I think, strengthen the composition. Also, the reflections of the people at the top of the picture are unfortunately distracting. A polarizing filter might have helped.

 

You're off to a good start for your photographic pursuits.

Allthough I personally like this photograph, it has not fared wellwith jurors in comparison with some of my other work.

 

What am I not seeing here?

A good catch of landing action! In my area of the northeastern U.S. snow geese are an uncommon occurrence.

 

Photographically, I find my eye being drawn from the central subjects to the slightly out-of-focus birds at the bottom of the frame. But then again, birds in the wild do not conduct themselves for the convenience of the photographer.