Re-Terning to Nest

Excellent action shot & love the feather detail in the wings. Wonder if it would be a benefit to lighten the black to show the eye more.

Thanks for the comment. I struggled trying to balance contrast and bringing out the eye without making it look unnatural. Here is a partial of the larger version where I simply masked the head from the curves layer. It's a question of whether it looks better to sacrifice the true black and keep more detail on the eye.

Very nice. I like the wing position and the tilted body angle of the bird. I also like the sushi in the beak. The only thing that might improve this IMHO would be if the head was looking up a little bit more but an outstanding shot as it is.

Nice action shot. I do prefer the first version, though it's hard with these guys to have enough light on the head, but not too much.... Greetings, Hans

Very nice action. The greenish of the fish abd the red are a nice contrast. I also prefer the first processing. They eye can be seen clearly enough, IMO, because of the catchlight. These are tough subject. As are black terns.

Nice image Dan. I totally understand the dilemma you're asking about with the blacks. I think everyone struggles with that from time to time. I think instead of selecting the entire head though, I would have just brought up the eye only and left the rest of the blacks in the head alone. That would make the eye pop without sacrificing the rest of the blacks.