First Post - Snowy Egret

[James Blair]

C&C Appreciated.
Taken at Famosa Slough - San Diego CA.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3659/3392759311_b3bded4c69_o.jpg

Canon 40D
400 5.6

[Randy Stout]

James:

Welcome to BPN!

I really like snowies, and always enjoy seeing images of them.

There are a couple points that might have improved this image.

The light angle is working against you here. It is partially backlit, with the light coming from well to your right and behind the bird. This throws the side of bird facing us into the shade.

Composition wise , I find it more effective if the bird is turned more towards you, so you can see both wing well. I also would crop it differently. The large area below doesn't help much. Generally, unless the water is very smooth, the reflections are distorted enough that they don't add much. The bird would appear larger in the frame if you cropped up significantly from the bottom.

The head and eye aren't terribly sharp to me, I suspect the focus might have been on the near wing. It might be worth it to check where your focus point was.

I do like the splash, and I think the exposure was pretty close.

Please keep them coming!

Cheers

Randy

[Randy Stout]

James:

This is just a quick recrop of your image. The other thing that would help IMO is to have a bit more space above the bird. I would also clone out the reflection in the right upper corner.

Be sure to upload the files at the max allowed size, 1024 x 800. That makes it a lot easier to critque them.

Cheers

Randy

[Doug Brown]

Welcome to BPN James! Randy did an excellent job of critiquing your image. Sharpness looks good, but the light angle is problematic. If at all possible, I would try to get the sun at my back when photographing a bird like this one. As Randy points out, the refelection is not a particularly strong visual element; I would crop off the bottom of the frame and add some canvas up top. I would also remove the reflection in the URC. Look forward to seeing more of your posts here on the Avian forum!

[Daniel Cadieux]

James, I haven't much to add to the critiques/tips offered above...but I do want to welcome you to BPN and am looking forward to more :-)

P.S. Don't forget to post the techs along with the image as those can help others critique your image (I can see them with an exif viewer, but many don't have that "luxury").

[James Shadle]

Welcome James!
Daniel (as well as the others) offer great info.
It is very important to add your image data, as well as comments on what your thought process was in creating your image.
This information can really help with the learning curve!
James

[James Blair]

Thanks everyone for the constructive comments! I can tell this is going to be a great learning experience. Randy, I like your crop and will be using it on future prints and postings. I was kind of backed into a corner as far as the lighting goes. Famosa Slough is a sanctuary with really limited location choices. Belatedly the tech info is as follows: ISO: 100, Aperture Priority F5.6, 1/800.

[Fabs Forns]

James, red carpet welcome to BPN, will be looking forward to more from you and hope we can add to your skills and be a positive learning experience :)

[Grace Scalzo]

What a beautiful pose you captured here....looking forward to more of your images. This is a great place to learn and share. I am constantly amazed by the willingness of this community to help.