Great Egret Breeding Plumage

[Platalea ajaja]

This was taken in the spring of '21 at a local NWR. Very early in the morning with low light. Not sure why I'm not getting EXIF data uploaded, but this was shot with Nikon D850/500PF. SS 1250 and ISO 2000.

The whites are a bit blue, but it was very cool light so I left it as I remember it, but you could make a case otherwise. For me, I liked the shot because of the water. If not for the reflection and the ripples at his feet, you might struggle to understand what was going on. Anxious to hear other perspectives and opinions. Thanks for looking.

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[Woody Meristem]

I like it, it would be better with more of the reflection but you have what you have. How about cropping some of the negative space from the right side (just not too much)?

 

[Dave Wo]

I have a ton of these shots and always have to use exposure compensation to bring out feather detail. Reflections are fun and the smoother the water the better. I have some really nice ones and it looks really cool to catch one where his bill seems to be hitting the bill of the reflected bird.

 

[Braxton L]

This is really sweet! I love the sharpness, pose, lighting, and exposure. I’d recommend leaving the blue cast(only because that’s how you remember it), but I’d tone it down just a little. I’m curious as to what you mean by “you might not understand what was going on” but, I’d recommend including the whole reflection if possible since this has a great water color and texture.

 

[Platalea ajaja]

Thanks Bal. By that I mean If not for the refection and the ripples, you might not even realize the bird is standing in water.

Thanks for the feedback Woody. I'll give that a try, but my concern is if I remove any more space from the right, it starts to put the birds head dead center...not sure how well that would work. But I'm going to give it a whirl and see how it looks. Thanks!

 

[bleirer]

I like the gradient coming down from the top left. I like the luxurious use of negative space on the right as it balances the image. The single ripple in the otherwise flat water tells a great story of calm and solitude. I too wished for more of the reflection.