Hawk into sunset

[Riley1827]

I use a Nikon D5000 and i'm just trying to see what you guys think about this shot hope you enjoy! Thanks : )

[barabe]

Hello and welcome to DPS,

I think you were very lucky to capture a shot like this one, I find it is beautifull. I would love to have a link to a bigger version to see better.

[windrider86]

Please take a peek at the guidelines

[doctorjames]

You were lucky in your find, but I would suggest you took your shot too soon. The shot is very centre weighted...

Draw a line from each bottom corner of your shot to the hawk and you will see that all the interest lies in this triangle. Sometimes this is intended but often it can make the composition boring even though your subject may not be!

You dont always have to play by the rule of thirds, but imagine the hawk either an inch or two further to the left or right, and it would be free from interference from the trees, sillouetted well against the sky, and much more pronounced. Its tempting to put the interest in the centre of the viewfinder but a habit you may wish to try to do without. Its also a worry that you might 'miss the shot' but do try to take the gamble every now and again.... one amazing shot is worth a thousand 'ok' shots.

[offwhitedog]

it's difficult to be sure on this size image, but there appear to be some kind of artifacts around the hawk? do you have a bigger version, or can you post a crop of the hawk itself?

my first guess would be you've got the in-camera sharpening turned up quite high, you might want to experiment with different levels to see what effect it has