Please help me decide

[Iguanasan]

I'm entering a photo contest put on by my local photography club and one of the categories is birds. I'm reasonably certain I won't win as I've seen some amazing images from other members, however, I still want to put my best foot forward. I'm having trouble choosing from the following images:

1. Portrait of a Bluejay
12029

2. Squawking Seagull
12030

3. Squawking Seagull Part 2
12031

4. The Common Grackle
12032

5. Grackle Fluffing Up
12033

[Matt K.]

Hi Iggy ... what rules are you being judged on? Are they CAPA rules? The 10 point system? If this would be our photo club, and I know the people who judge, what they want to see is an image you could put in a book for identification purposes. That's how strict they are. based on that, I'd go for .... #4. And here is why:

#1 is a great shot, but it does not show the whole bird
#2 is also a wonderful shot, but the horizontal line created by the benches on the shore would be a "distraction", hence you would get points deducted.
#3 is a real winner, were it not for the "breath" emanating from the beak.
#4 is great, and has no flaws in it that could compromise the judging.
#5 is very good also, but the eye is partially hidden.

Anyway, these are my :twocents:

[Iguanasan]

Thanks, Matt. I don't think they're being quite that strict. Birds are only one of 12 categories. I appreciate your comments though, they are very helpful. Interesting that you think his breath is a distraction, it's what I liked about the shot ;) I caught him in mid squawk on a day when it was like -3C.

[Mad Aussie]

As much as I like the unusual pose of the gull ... I'd go for either #1 or #4.

I like the pose of #1 ... and the strong bokeh as well ... but I think ... I lean toward #4 for it's clarity, sharpness, colour of the bird combined with the soft pastel bokeh, and clear eye.

[Marko]

shot 4 for me, (based on composition and eye sharpness and fewest distractions) then shot 3.

Shot 3 is the most interesting shot imo and could be improved to surpass my shot 4 pick (imo :) ) by making that breath more prominent, cropping or cloning the brighter parts of the image at top and sharpening the eye a bit more (if it can handle it).
Hope that helps - Marko