Great Egret

Gallery: AvianPosted October 1, 201199 views8 comments

This was a great morning for capturing Great Egrets an the Viera Wetlands, Florida. A large number where congregated in one of the Ponds and after a light rain shower the birds started to get very active. Shot with little intermission for over an hour as the feed on small fish and other aquatic life.

This photo has a slight crop to it and some exposure adjustments. Mostly in the tone curve. Not sure if I got the balance right between the bird and background. Learning that white birds can be challenging to expose properly. Thanks to all who view and comment.

Canon 7D, 100-400mm f5.6 shutter 1/4000 f5.6 ISO 400, hand held

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on October 1, 2011 at 3:19 PM

Bill, I think you did well on the exposure of the bird. The whites are white and not grey with good detail in the brightest and darkest areas. I like the bird's pose too. For me this would work better as a vertical comp with more room for the birds virtual legs, as they are very long, and especially its head. The very dark lilly pad right next to the very bright flower is a bit of an eye grabber for me and takes away from the bird a little. Also, I think this image could use some CW rotation.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Jaymes Dempsey on October 1, 2011 at 3:34 PM

Great catch! I like the pose a lot, and the detail in the wings are lovely! But I echo what Ron said about that dark lily pad on the right...otherwise, really beautiful!

Registered on June 28, 2010, 47 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Chris O'Donoghue on October 1, 2011 at 5:22 PM

Great pose and the bird is well exposed. I agree with the earlier comments about a vertical crop, very slight CW rotation and the dark plant.

Registered on January 1, 2011, 11 Posts, 37 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on October 1, 2011 at 7:25 PM

Bill, a tough exposure and I think you did pretty well with it given the light. This shot really illustrates that long, spindly neck. Nice wing position. I agree that perhaps you might try a bit of CW rotation if you have the room but since this is a "slight crop" you may not, nor do I suspect you have the room at bottom to go vertical. Personally I think this pose lends itself to a horizontal presentation but agree that it's tight on the virtual feet and legs.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on October 2, 2011 at 9:55 AM

I love this view of the wings, Bill.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on October 2, 2011 at 11:51 AM

Nice job on the4 exposure, Bill. I think the horizontal works, though it would be nice to have a bit more room on the bottom.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on October 3, 2011 at 4:53 AM

I think you managed the exposure very well here Bill, and I love that wingspread! Amazing to see what slender necks these Egrets have and, going by the length, easy to understand why they choose to kink them up while in flight ;^)

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to seeing more of your work :^)

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Deibert on October 3, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Great shot, I love the outstretched wings...I think you nailed the lighting...there is fine detail in the feathers...and I'm digging the egret's head silhouette on its right wing.

Registered on September 30, 2011, 48 Posts, 125 Comments