Just Another Egret Photo

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marklangner

marklangner

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So...I see all those amazing shots Steve posts and figure I'll never attain to that......plus so many members here also capture amazing shots. I often think I'm not so gifted as many of you, but of my many images these few months, this one I really like. I've not yet learned to use photoshop very well, mostly just open my images into Cannon DPP4, crop, adjust contrast, brightness, color intensity, luminosity sometimes, and sharpness. Recently purchased Topaz Denoise and sharpen and learned how to "send to photoshop" to add those products as layers...but I digress...this image is just me and my camera, and modest adjustments in DPP4. Was a very overcast flat light morning, moderate wind (had to time pictures...bird feathers flying everywhere)....Canon R5, RF600 F4, 1,.4 TC, Tripod mounted, F5.6, 1/320 sec, oh and Canon freaky amazing bird eye focus. I think my latte and donuts helped as well. Hope you like it....I let the feet cutoff because I felt it made you look at the bird eyes and focus more on the bird and less on the environment (bird was standing on a post in the middle of a not so scenic canal in foggy overcast weather with wind blowing).
Snowy Egret Egretta thula - R5B10935.jpg
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marklangner said:
So...I see all those amazing shots Steve posts and figure I'll never attain to that......plus so many members here also capture amazing shots. I often think I'm not so gifted as many of you, but of my many images these few months, this one I really like. I've not yet learned to use photoshop very well, mostly just open my images into Cannon DPP4, crop, adjust contrast, brightness, color intensity, luminosity sometimes, and sharpness. Recently purchased Topaz Denoise and sharpen and learned how to "send to photoshop" to add those products as layers...but I digress...this image is just me and my camera, and modest adjustments in DPP4. Was a very overcast flat light morning, moderate wind (had to time pictures...bird feathers flying everywhere)....Canon R5, RF600 F4, 1,.4 TC, Tripod mounted, F5.6, 1/320 sec, oh and Canon freaky amazing bird eye focus. I think my latte and donuts helped as well. Hope you like it....I let the feet cutoff because I felt it made you look at the bird eyes and focus more on the bird and less on the environment (bird was standing on a post in the middle of a not so scenic canal in foggy overcast weather with wind blowing).View attachment 38211
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I like it a lot! Should title it “Bad Hair Day”😜
 
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marklangner said:
So...I see all those amazing shots Steve posts and figure I'll never attain to that......plus so many members here also capture amazing shots. I often think I'm not so gifted as many of you, but of my many images these few months, this one I really like. I've not yet learned to use photoshop very well, mostly just open my images into Cannon DPP4, crop, adjust contrast, brightness, color intensity, luminosity sometimes, and sharpness. Recently purchased Topaz Denoise and sharpen and learned how to "send to photoshop" to add those products as layers...but I digress...this image is just me and my camera, and modest adjustments in DPP4. Was a very overcast flat light morning, moderate wind (had to time pictures...bird feathers flying everywhere)....Canon R5, RF600 F4, 1,.4 TC, Tripod mounted, F5.6, 1/320 sec, oh and Canon freaky amazing bird eye focus. I think my latte and donuts helped as well. Hope you like it....I let the feet cutoff because I felt it made you look at the bird eyes and focus more on the bird and less on the environment (bird was standing on a post in the middle of a not so scenic canal in foggy overcast weather with wind blowing).
Click to expand...
Hi Mark

Thanks for posting. I think you may be underestimating your ability. There is no reason why you can't make excellent photos of egrets and other birds. It take practice and some sense of what you are trying to achieve.

I like this one. The background is out of focus and clean with nice color and no distractions. That's important. The 600 f/4 is just the right lens for a nice, out of focus background like this.

The subject position is interesting. As you point out, it's a common bird so looking for something interesting is important. The blowing wind and "bad hair" help a lot. You've also captured it in breeding plumage with those long plumes down the chest of the bird.

I like the soft light. It lets you control the exposure and manage contrast as needed. That's ideal light for bird photography and I seek out days like that.

There are some things you can do.

The image looks a bit soft. My eyes go immediately to the face and eyes, and that area lacks sharpness and contrast. I also see some smudging in the feathers and wonder if you applied too much noise reduction. When you are editing you are not trying to remove all noise at 100% - you want to remove the noise at normal viewing for your output size. I don't see any sign of noise. Since Sharpening and Noise Reduction are essentially opposites, I'd place more emphasis on sharpening and less on noise reduction.

Cutting off the leg does not bother me at all. I'm not sure you need to keep any part of the leg - you could crop it at the body of the bird. That solves another problem - the bird is standing on one leg. While it actually was resting and standing on one leg, it makes an odd look for a photo.

Keep up your efforts on this kind of photography. Bird photography has its own set of success measures for photos - and the details count. That's part of the fun and the challenge.:)
 
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Although I like them both, I'd say the second is a better photograph artistically. Bu the first is different from other egret photos you see; because it's unique it's really something special..
 
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