Great Egret Silhouette...

[Dan O'Leary]

Taken at the Black Point Wildlife Drive in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, FL.

I expect that some folks will suggest I black out the silhouette, but after trying it a bunch of ways I prefer this presentation. I look forward to your comments!

2008:01:11 08:12:13
1dm3 @ 700mm (500 + 1.4x)
1/4000 sec, f/8, Av, Eval +1/3, ISO 640

[Jim Poor]

I think you should black out the silhouette. Just kidding! If you had the rim lighting with a darker BG, that might have worked.

I really like this pretty well as is, but I might also be tempted to lighten the bird just a hair. I keep peering into the eye area and the darkness there.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like it like this too. I like the light shining through some of the feathers. Only thing is I wish you had backed out and taken a full reflection, as I feel it is cut off at an awkward point. Also, you had more than enough shutter speeds to lower your ISO for a "cleaner" shot (for post processing, cropping, or printing purposes).

[Dan O'Leary]

That's a good point on the ISO. If I had dialed it down then I might have been happy with brightening the bird a bit more. Right now, if I brighten the bird the image quality takes a big dive.

[Dan O'Leary]

Based on this feedback I tried something a bit different. Maybe it's better, I'm not sure...
Thanks!

[Jim Poor]

I like it better this way.

[Arthur Morris]

I like both, the second a bit better by a hair. This is a rare digital image that might have benefited from the use of flash... As for the rest of the reflection, I have long been a defender of cut off reflections so consider yourself duly defended. :)

Later and love, artie

ps; It would not have hurt to have backed off or zoomed out or grabbed a shorter lens and made a few with the complete reflection.