Rework
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Empire Bay’s gentle atmosphere was perfectly matched by the darter’s serene posture; it seemed completely at ease in its natural surroundings, a natural pause in the rhythm of the day.
Any feedback welcome
500 mm at ISO 1600 and 1⁄3200sec at ƒ/9
Hi Saundie, I like the relaxed pose of the bird with a slight head turn toward us. BG generally looks good. The blue at the bottom catches my eye and makes me think the image might could use some clockwise rotation. You could just clone out the blue as a fix. Still a fine catch. Love seeing these Darters - really interesting birds to me.
Nice detail and lighting, Saundie. Like, Allen, I noticed the slant in the blue and since the tilt of the post is about the same, it certainly makes the image look as if it were slightly off kilter, though it well may not have been.
Nice pose; good color and detail. Nice setting with the post as well. I had the same thought about a slight clockwise rotation, though from my experience these posts are rarely level.
@Allen_Brooks @Allen_Sparks @Dennis_Plank
Thanks for the feedback! I implemented the suggested clone-out option. This was the original angle of the pole, and the Darter seemed happy on the horizontal, so I left it there. Thanks again for the valuable input! 
Good job on the rework Saundie. Beautiful bird and great pose.
Thanks, Ed. I apologize for my late reply; I’ve been road tripping.
