Southern Calif. Mid morning. Full frame, no crop.
This was a very tough exposure looking down at a fast flying bird in bright sun with a bright changing background. The RL corner rock is a bit distracting but other than a vignette and some blurring, I can’t think of anything to ameliorate the impact.
Is this a composite: No
iso 1000, 400mm, f6.3, 2500th, handheld, full frame
A great catch, David. The background is interesting but just a bit obtrusive. I’d be tempted to blur it a bit more and possible tone down the highlights. The detail in the bird is excellent. Did it really look this bright in that light? It does look like it was right out of the water and is probably reflecting more light because of the wet plumage, but I’m used to thinking of Cormorants as black.
A different look with a bird flying up at you like that and I like it. Good detail and you caught a bit of the blue in the throat. I find my eye going right for the bird and it stands out well from the background, but I could see trying Dennis’s suggestions to see if you like the results better.
