 |
| Common Kestrel Attacking |
I was watching this Common Kestrel (one of my favorite birds) observing some insects on the ground, and in a split-second, she was in the air lunging for the snack. How do I know that this is a female? She has the same dotted color pattern on her head as on the rest of her body. The males have grey heads (and tails, as well).
What do I like about this photo? The dynamic pose, with the intent gaze on the ground, never losing focus of her goal. I used a fast shutter speed (1/2500 of a second) to freeze the action, so the Kestrel is sharp even though she is moving quickly. I used an open aperture to create a shallow depth of field, so the Kestrel is in focus but the background is blurred out. This way there's good separation between the subject and the background, making the subject stand out in the photo.
What would I want to improve? I would have wanted for the Kestrel to not be as close to the edge of the frame, so she would have more "breathing room".