Swanning Around
by AlexSaberi

Comment:
Nice shot; I would like it better if the bird in the background weren't so underexposed.

Least bittern
by ovenbird

Comment:
This image seems to have an odd orangish cast. I think that I would have preferred to see this with a horizontal crop, adding more negative space in the direction which the bird is looking.

In Flight Meal
by kcuman

Comment:
Nicely captured. I would have preferred to see the bird a little less underexposed though, even if it meant washing out most of the ripples on the water.

Chickadee
by cpickett

Comment:
The bird seems a little underexposed

Starlight
by chisholmsmith

Comment:
Your bird seems fuzzy; I can't tell whether this is because of the focus, the light or the processing. The shadow behind the bird's head is distracting, and could have been eliminated by repositioning your light source relative to the camera. A stronger catchlight in the bird's eye and more light on his tail would have also improved the image. Since the bird's body is rather drab, placing him against a background which complements the color of the feathers on his head would have made this more visually appealing.

Hunter, Gatherer
by Imagineer

Comment:
I had to look twice before I even saw the bird; the first thing my eye seized upon was the curve above the bird's head, which lead my gaze out of the picture. I like the texture on the wall, but there's a silhouette of a bird in the way. Shooting against (and exposing for) such a busy background takes attention away from the bird, which is presumably the intended subject of the photo. Metering on the bird and washing out the background may have produced a stronger entry for this challenge.

Hungry bird
by RUEDISCHMUTZ

Comment:
The partially shadowed eyes are somewhat distracting, and his beak looks oversharpened. The curve of his wings leads my eyes out of the picture; a horizontal crop might have made the bird look more fierce and less lanky. A little more headroom would have been nice.

Contact
by photogenix

Comment:
I'd have liked to see more of the bird's eyes, crown or tail feathers. As it is, I feel like I've only got hints of the first two. The angle of the bird's neck highlights the ruffled feathers which disrupt an otherwise nice curve. The color of the background seems a bit more saturated than the bird itself; the presentation would have been stronger if you'd have desaturated the background somewhat.

Freedom
by aerogurl

Comment:
The band of white feathers bordering the brown seem excessively white and overexposed; this probably could have been reduced / eliminated by adjusting the curves. The DOF seems a touch shallow. This is the best portrait-style picture I've seen so far in the challenge.

Hooo whoo you looking at ?
by froglet

Comment:
The brightness difference between the bird's face and the top of it's head and shoulders is distracting; you could have probably fixed this by adjusting the curves. The face itself seems sharp, but underexposed. A catchlight in the owl's eyes would have really helped to bring this image alive.