Egret IV

[Jim Miller]

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Florida. Canon 1V, 100-400mm and 1.4x, Fuji Superia ISO 400, scanned. Homosassa Springs is one of my favorite locations to photograph birds. Many are habituated to people (some overly so), and there is a boardwalk. The best part is the closed canopy which restricts light, except where openings allow a shaft of brilliant sunlight to shine through like a spotlight on a stage. Birds seem to prefer these bright spots, maybe to synthesize Vitamin D. The water is dark with tannin, and when it is arranged as a background, itusually goes very dark when a white bird is spot-metered. Any comments appreciated, and thanks. Jim

[Jim Poor]

I'm a fan of dark BGs so this really appeals to me. I'd like to see it larger (up to 800 pixels allowed on the long side here).
I like the way you show the plumage and have the eye in view. I

'd probably do some selective work on the eye to make it stand out a little better. I tried, but at this size it's a little hard. On the original is should be no problem to do some selecting and adjustments in saturation and exposure to make the eye stand out and define the pupil.

With all that said, I really like the pose and the elegant look this has.

The head, while not truly over exposed, is so much brighter then the rest of the bird that it appears blown. Maybe toning it down a little would help

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Love the whole idea of this image and the mood you captured here. Jim had some good suggestions and I would crop a tad of the top too. Thanks for sharing Jim.

[Lance Warley]

The spread feathers are spectacular against the black bg.

I think Judy's suggestion is worth pursuing, because this is a very, very effective comp.

[Jim Miller]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I darkened the eye and lore then darkened the pupil a little further with levels. Cropped the top and right to retain the 2:3 proportion. The head has no 250s, but I did drop it back a little with curves. Also, 800 pix length.

I'm sure there is a better way to treat the eye area.

Thanks very much. Jim

[Arlene Spagna]

Hi,
Very dramatic image! Although the feathers are the focus of this wonderful image, I would wish to see more of a side view in order to show some more of the egret's head.