Kingfishers

I would imagine that the majority of Europeans associate the Kingfisher with being a brightly coloured bird, Yet this is the complete opposite, though in my opinion just as stunning especially when captured as well as this image, good exposure control maintaining great detail in the blacks and no noticeable blown highlights, the bird stands out well against the plain blue background. The only minor criticism from me would be the positioning of your signature, as I feel it intrudes on the beauty of the image.

After long and careful consideration of what were some outstanding images, this I have to say stood out from all the other images due to its unique nature. The detail of the spider web and the bird are great, the overall depth of field is spot on, well composed with everything that needs to be in focus and sharp is exactly that. The colours are natural and not oversaturated. Technically good and pleasing to the eye. Congratulations on this well captured moment in time.

I think this little bird really sums up the diversity of the Kingfisher family, the feet and wings resemble that of the bird we see in the UK. Looks like the light was favourable as the exposure is good, there are some signs of halation around the bird and the perch, possibly due to a touch too much sharpening. Colours look good and that beak looks like a serious hunting tool. Overall a pleasing image to the eye.

These are so different to the European Kingfisher I am so used to seeing. That bright vibrant orange beak is something else indeed and really does catch you attention, drawing you into the action in the image. It would have been great to see the birds larger in the frame with more detail and I feel a landscape orientation would have worked better, although this is still a great moment to capture.

Love the fact that you have captured both the male and female together with good detail and colour, they stand out so well against that soft natural toned background. The way that both birds are focusing down towards the corner of the image adds an extra dimension to the image and leaves you wanting to know what they are looking intently at. Overall a visual treat.