Snowy Egret... Love it or hate it background

[Joseph Przybyla]

I was at Lake Mirror in the center of Lakeland, Florida recently. As I was leaving I noticed this Snowy Egret on the bottom step of a set of concrete stairs that led to the water. I captured the image, thinking portrait, with the lake surface as a background. Earlier I had noticed what appeared to be a slight oil slick on the water. I think that is what caused the unusual background. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE)
1/1600 F/5.6 Matrix Metering -1/3 EV ISO 140
Post processed in Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 10

[Mike Poole]

Although its never good to see oil in the water, it has made for a nice background here. Do you have any more frame to work with on the left, as it is a little tight for my taste, particularly given the strong eye of the died and the direction it's looking.

It may be different over in Florida, but where I come from that would be some impressive fieldcraft to get so close

[William Dickson]

Very nice image Joseph, I agree with Mike, I find it a little tight in the frame. Thanks for sharing this

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the sharpness but the HA and composition aren't working for me. Nice image Joe.

[Shawn Zierman]

Oh who would hate such a background....unacceptable. This background must be loved. It has a great flow. Whites on the heron look sweet...nice and bright...still plenty of details. Space wise, I'm fine with this tight presentation. A slight head turn towards us would have been optimal.

[Robert Kimbrell]

Nice job on the Whites. The background is good but, I also agree with more room on the left.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Thank you all for viewing, commenting and offering suggestions for improving the image. I read them all and re-visited the image. This is what I came up with.

[Mike Poole]

Thats a nice improvement, especially with the rotation