As a study in two men having a kip on a bench, pretty good, but I think that, given the lack of any real interest in the men themselves, you've cropped (or zoomed) in too far. A little more context would have been welcome, for instance if the plants / trees behind them are lush and colourful, the observer would get more of a story - they being so knackered that even being surrounded by beautful flora wouldn't stop them having a kip.

Keep on taking the candid shots - but don't be afraid of the bigger picture.

Fistly, I should say thanks for posting this for critique. It's rather daunting sometimes and you should be complimented on your contribution.

So, a few (hopefully constructive) comments.

I think a contrasting backdrop would have been constructive here to enable the line of the jaw to be followed,Even in a high-key portrait I still think structure should be visible.

Also, I'd like to have been able to see her right ear.

Talking of ears, the hair around her left ear is a bit wild, but not wild enough to look anything other than untidy, I'm afraid.

This is presumably based around the look that Annie Lennox had in the mid-80's, (the cover of the Eurythmics' Touch album springs to mind) which, for me, was iconic and well worthy of tribute.

Although you haven't posted that large an image and it's a tad difficult to tell, this image also doesn't appear to be that sharp. This may be a function of my eyes, but please post a larger version if possible for more detailed critique.

It's difficult to catch birds in flight, I take many pictures like this that are then canned - but also quite a few sharp ones (see my portfolio).

The most important things to remember that a minimum speed of 1/800th is needed, I usually shoot at least 1/1000th on my 7D. Focusing can best be achieved by panning, this requires that you have a single, usually central) focus point set with which to follow the bird.

All of which says "no" to sports mode i'm afraid. Using Tv mode to get the right timing may require that you up the ISO to get a reasonable depth of field. Quite often I shoot in manual mode so that I can set speed to 1/1000th, Aperture to 7.1 and then loon about with the ISO value to get a decent pic, but that's an acquired taste!

I spot meter quite often so that you get the bird colours right, you can play with the background later in PS.

Lastly, I shoot in RAW, because the more data you have, the better the recovery from any slight glitch in the shoot when post-processing.

Good luck and keep on togging.

Andy

Simple shot, nicely done.

Over-sharpened, though, as demonstratd by the black border around the bird and there's something very odd going on with the diagonal piece of wood top left. A bit of blurring gone a long way?

Positionally, I'd have preferred to see the bird to the right.

Don't get me wrong, good shot, but I can't help feeling there was a better pic available.

Thanks for sharing

Good pic, I love these birds. Well done. If I was being picky I'd have cropped it less severely and given the kite space to "fly into". I'm uploading a mod after this comment is made to show what I mean.

Incidentally the tags mean the kite hatched in Wales in 2004, which is of course reasonable for the area. Google "Red Kite Tags" for more info.

Good shot. Could have done with a more contrasting colour backdrop (IMHO of course).

I'd be tempted to use PS Liquify to tweak her lips up at the edges. Might be worth trying, anyhow.

Classic composition, mono suits the subject, would have liked the tower sharper.