I think this is a wonderful shot. I also think it should have been in the first row in the contest, but there is no accounting sometimes for how people vote. Your image is sharp and clear. And you have caught a very tender scene. If you were so inclined you could have cleaned up the dead grass that appears to be poking out of their beaks, but I could also argue to leaving it as is.
I agree this is a great shot. The mother is in perfect focus while the baby is slightly out of focus but does not distract from the overall image. The brightness of the background grass is somewhat distracting and could be darkened a little. Also, the body of the mother, although nicely in focus, draws attention from the interaction between the mother and baby. Perhaps, cropping out some of the mother's body would help.
As far as votes go, I see you received 11 votes. If the winning images were rated by the number of votes rather than by points, you would be tied for third place.
The green foliage in the background draws attention away from the Sandhills, and needs to be lighten or overlaid partially with some beige color. I opened the photo in PS CS5 Raw, and used the adjustment brush to accomplish this.
The little fellow's neck is blending into the background and needs to be enhanced. I used the clone stamp tool to bring additional color into that area of the neck.
Also I feel his head needed some darkness added. I used the adjustment tool in Perfect Effects at a low setting to do this enhancement.
I hope this gives you some direction in which to make the photo more appealing.
Ditto to most of the above. The definition in the feathers is excellent!
Thank you for your input.....the Sandhills laid their eggs on a mound just a few yards from the sidewalk. There was a group of photographers waiting for the hatching and I was lucky to be there....it was a very special morning!
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