White-morph Reddish Egret

[Mike Milicia]

Canon 1D Mk IV, 500mm f/4L IS, 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 400
Manual exposure at Sunny f/16 equivalent.


I have been going through some older images that I never got around to processing.
Photographed on the bay side of Mustang Island State Park near Port Aransas, TX in April 2011.

[Sachin Saraf]

Mike, Love the super low angle, color of water, pose, exposure details and that silver reflection in water...I have not seen the bird but is the beak and eye so pale in this morph? And I will be tempted to see a crop with slightly less space at top.

[Mike Milicia]

I have not seen the bird but is the beak and eye so pale in this morph?
I don't know how the bill and eye of the white-morph typically differ, if at all, from the dark.
But I will point out that this one is not in breeding plumage so that will likely make a difference.
I darkened the pupil a bit here but did nothing to the iris or bill.

[Diane Miller]

Striking!

I'm curious -- were you in the water up to your chest (and tripod head)? I need to work on getting lower but don't like the thought of taking a tripod in salt water.

Just had a thought -- is there something like a ground pod or skimmer that has a small catamaran attached?

[Karl Egressy]

Excellent pose, nice low shooting angle and perfect HA, Mike. Love the raised foot and the nice water .

[Mike Milicia]

I'm curious -- were you in the water up to your chest (and tripod head)? I need to work on getting lower but don't like the thought of taking a tripod in salt water.

This was photographed from a fairly flat beach using a Naturescapes Skimmer ground pod. I often use the Wimberley head with the Skimmer but this may have been with the camera mounted directly onto the Skimmer with just an Arca-Swiss clamp.

[Tom Rambaut]

Great pose with raised foot - love the HA and the blues - nice transition of colors. Like how birds head is above the transition line.

[gail bisson]

This is lovely.
I like the soft light and the great low POV and the little splash at the feet.
I like the comp as well.
No nits from me!
gail

[Miguel Palaviccini]

What a great shooting angle Mike! Everything is just perfect with this shot. Wish it were mine!

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Awesome shot of this beauty Mike. Love everything about it.

[Nick Palmieri]

Great pose, nice low angle. I love the environment.

[Robert vanMierop]

Sweet image. White Morphs are a personal favorite of mine. I'd prefer the breeding colors but you can't fool with mother nature. Feet, head angle, background, all so nice. See ya here in St. Aug. in a couple of weeks.

[Shawn Zierman]

I remember a similar image of yours, probably from this shoot, that was awarded IOTW on NSN.
What struck me about the image then, are the same things that stand out here. Very cool light quality,
perfect shooting angle, movement, and the subject really pops in the scene. Another great image sir.

[Frank Schauf]

Excellent Pose and light, good exposure control, nice comp and good ambient.

[Robert Holguin]

Gorgeous shot!!!
Excellent low angle, exposed perfectly, terrific pose, ad excellent comp.
Very well done.

[Irena Kapusta]

Wonderful and sweet image. Gorgeous shot