rauber

I feel the amount of sky in conjunction with the foreground creates the vastness that this subdivision of cookie cutter homes has been placed. What is or was the intention of the developer? Are there more homes on the back side? If not, will the foreground be filled with homes? This is obviously in the mid west region of the United States. I am pretty sure of this because I think we are the only country where we allow developers to run wild.

Peterson's Guide of North America 2nd Edition shows this exactly as you have stated. The common name Eurasian Honey Buzzard adult male, Pg 282. Great shot of his eye.

Holy Moly! Everybody else has taken the words I want to say.

I really hate being technical but according to "Peterson Field Guide" this appears to be a Juvenile Rough-Legged Hawk. If you get North America 2nd edition on page 79, Plate 31 you will see the complete description that matches this photo.

Fantastic Shot.

It's two dimensional. It looks like you placed the bird IN the photo. Great shot.

How incredible to capture this in the middle of the day. He must not have found enough to eat during the night and doing double time. Beautiful.

Now that is a vulture. Excellent

Okay admit it, you're the photographer for the Audubon Society updating a new publication. You have to be. Your photos are absolutely fantastic.

Not to be technical but...this is either a golden eagle or a hawk. The way he is looking at you, I hope you left the area cleaner than you when you arrived. Great shot as all of your's. If you have children or grandchildren you should put all of these bird photos in story form.

Unbelievable!

This is the best. The twilight hour. I had not thought to look at your portfolio first. I only commented on the three displayed on the right of the screen. I see the comment left here before mine did not critique the flare at the bottom. This is in regards to my comment on your other photos. Perhaps it (the flare) is acceptable to the photo shot. Pam Rauber

You did frame these and hang them in your office at work for others to be jealous over, right? You can name the three you have submitted "Starburst Melody" or Have a slide show of your fireworks with Nat King Cole's (Starburst) in the background. People my age will reminisce "Sleepless in Seattle" Tom Hanks standing on his dock forlornly mourning his wife while watching the fireworks on New Years Eve. Great shots. I've enjoyed them. Pam Rauber

I like the blue and orange tailfeathers. As I said in my other comment that my brother puts on the fireworks show. My very large family cheers or Boohs to the fireworks and his wife via walkie talkie with her husband (my brother) writes the names of the fireworks down so he can improve each year. My delay in submitting my photos was to give him copies of his work. He was thrilled. Now he is on a fireworks mission. Makes photography that much more fun when you frame them and give them to your family and friends. Pam Rauber

I snoozed, I loozed. I was about to submit my photos from July 4th for the same purpose. That's okay. I'll wait to see what the experts say about your's and learn from you. Personally, they look like mine with the exception of the twilight hour. I like that background. I'll have to prode my brother to start earlier.

That aside. Like my photos you have the flare at the bottom. I don't know if that should be there or should that have been cropped out. Or cloned out. Cropped would have eliminated the hillside which adds to the shot. That is an important feature. I had my setting on Bulb. I would release the shutter after the explosion but if another flare went up to capture multiple explosions like in this photo, one can't help but capture the flare at the bottom. You probably learned as I did leaving the shutter on too long created glare when it captured several explosions as in shooting the finale. I found in my shots the ones with two, maybe I slid by with three explosions, were the best. I'm sure there will be opinions about the flare. It does bring the human factor in the photo whereas the explosion alone with the twilight would give the appearance of a starburst in the galaxy. I really like that twilight. That makes the photo.

It will be interesting to read opinions and hopefully our first shots will be a great learning experience for next year. Maybe, I'll beat you in submitting my photos. I'll keep up with this forum along with your other shots. Good Job. Thanks for submitting. I look forward to learning with you.

Pam Rauber

Looks like I'm the first to comment. I'm impressed. I got tired of chasing grasshoppers. From my perspective, I consider you lucky he posed long enough for a photo shot. That Macro really picks up the details in his legs.

 

Kudos, Pam

This is amusing. Sort of reminds me of Pied the Piper. The burning gives a hat effect. They all look like they're wearing hats. Reducing the depth of field reflects volumes, hence the following of Pied. One of the problems which may only be mine is having to scroll to the get the full view which may be why people commenting here said they had to keep looking around the photo. That aside, I don't mind looking all over a photo just like I look over a canvas. If one wants a main focal point just print that and nothing else. Pam