Blue-and-Gold Macaw

I do agree, this is a nice picture and a very beautiful bird. However, let me iterate through the list as to why I rated what I did.

First off, is vision. I think you have a great idea going there, making people aware that these birds are endangered in Trinidad. It's a nice simple portrait, not too overbearing with the details, but at the same time, it's not too plain.

Originality I gave three stars, because there are hundreds of thousands of photos like this. I have a stack of old National Geographics in my bedroom; back in 1992 they did an article on Macaws, and there were a ton of photos, many of them similar to this. So, as far as originality is concerned, yes you are original to a point, however this picture, more specifically a portrait of a macaw has been done so many times over it's just not something I can give a high score to and say, "I've never seen this before".

Your technique, what ever you used, was A rate. I have pet birds, and I know how difficult it can be if you want to take a picture of them. They just don't want to hold still. And whatever you're doing with the camera is making everything just nice and crisp and clear, with the background heavily out of focus and the bird right in the center, in full glory dominating the viewer's eye.

Impact got 4 stars because, without reading the description, this is just a picture of a bird. However, once you realize it's for a cause, then you start to really marvel at it and take a close look. It would be a damn shame if these beautiful creatures went extinct anywhere on the globe. I didn't even know there was an problem with these guys until I clicked the picture.

So all in all it is a beautiful picture, full of color and detail. I would definitely recommend this to a magazine or other publication for printing, whenever they needed a good picture of a macaw.