Got it

Hi Andrew:

Great action with a very nice pose on the Osprey and fish. Overall techs look pretty good.

For me the water action is such an insignificant part of this frame that I would not include it. We know the Osprey took the fish out of the water, but I think it is too far back in the frame to include. Here's a suggested crop that for me provides a stronger overall image. I will be interested to see what other's think. I don't think there is a single right answer.

I agree with Keith about the crop.

There is something wrong with the processing - there's a solid straight line from wing to wing cutting across the head/throat of the Osprey, with the whites looking bright and correct on the head and shadowed in blue/cyan below the line. My guess is this comes from some selection made in processing.

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated. That straight line below the head is caused by the wing blocking the evening sun.

Should I try to adjust that or leave it alone ?

Andrew

Andrew,
Great catch here for both you and the Osprey. You have good wing position and the tail feathers spread are perfect and gives a true perspective of the size of these birds at work. The position of the Shad could be better but the Osprey has not positioned his catch for flight yet and it is what it is. The concentration you captured in the Osprey's face really makes this image for me and can be best seen in the excellent larger version.
The crop you selected does not work at all and IMHO would be better as Keith has shown but with the wing tips more centered from corner to corner.
The line created from the shadow of the wing looks just fine and is a very natural and common part of Osprey photography on sunny days. You handled the light and dark areas very well. The blue/cyan color that Richard mentioned is the color of the reflection off the water and not a processing problem and both should be left as is.
You may want to do a little selective sharpening and saturation on the fish to give it a bit more pop and detail along with the re-crop to make this image Picture Perfect.
Well Done . . .
P.S. Love the Title

Andrew. Great timing to capture to pull out with the fish. Nice detail in the larger version. I think Keith's crop does make for a stronger image. I see a shift in the water color between your small and large originals with the water seeming less cyan and less saturated in the smaller version. Keith's take is based on the larger version and so it shows the different color as well. I do not see the cyan color in the whites near the shoulders in the small version. Hard to say what might be driving the difference, but I like the blues in the smaller version better.

Good action shot! I also like Keith's version. I agree about leaving out much of the water trail, but it is neat to see.
To me this is an overall exciting image. Thanks for sharing.