_R_
by MikeO

Comment:
Great depth of field, it is a shame you were not able to get the tail in frame.

A Concert in the Park
by scalvert

Comment:
Great color, great lighting, great DOF.

Birds Eye View
by stargazer05766

Comment:
Nice capture, the choice to focus on one bird makes this.

Feeding Frenzy
by SherwinJames

Comment:
Excellent exposure control.

Oh to soar!
by smurfguy

Comment:
From a technical standpoint, the tack-sharp panning on the right skate is quite impressive, so kudos on that accomplishment.

I'm torn on how to rate this. One the one hand, it's quite a good photo. On the other, it doesn't strictly meet the definition of the challenge, and though the title makes the connection, this is a photo contest, not a title contest.

The girl's pose is more reminiscent of a runner than a bird... if the left arm was more fully outstretched, you might have me on that. Ordinaly I halve the score for a DNMC entry. I'm going to do that here, but add back a point for making me think outside the box, ending up at 5. Had you saved this for the Free Study, you would have received an 8 from me.

The Price of Freedom
by Breeee123

Comment:
Freedom costs a bird? ;-) Eagle-as-American-symbol notwithstanding, the title seems to just not quite fit. As to the photo itself, the technicals are very good, but I am not fond of the downward-looking pose. Perhaps the title and downward look are intended to convey sadness at our soldiers lost in battle? If so, the connection is just not quite getting there for me.

The Bird
by nikolaos

Comment:
The bird is quite difficult to find amongst the cluttered foreground and background.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
by BeeCee

Comment:
The bird really stands out against the deep blue of the sky. The more I look at this, the more I like it.

Following
by raish

Comment:
I love the strong diagonals but the birds almost get lost in the water here. A polarizer probably would have been a tremendous help.

The Eagle (a softened rendition)
by louisp

Comment:
Sorry to say that photos of statues, especially straight-on ones rarely impress me. It just seems to me that they dodge the real, well, challenge of the challenge, which is to be creative with the subject matter.