Reddish Egret

[Eric Diller]

Reddish Egret on the Hunt. Had to sit and wait about 5 minutes for him to feel comfortable with my presence
200-400MM F4, ED,IF,VR Nikkor lens (380MM)
ISO 640
Shutter 1/1250 sec
F8

Manual mode on a Mono Pod



http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h263/xmobe540/April%202010/PIC_1003-nscopy.jpg

[Randy Stout]

Eric:

Good sense of motion with the foot up and trailing water. He looks intense.

I might consider a slight midtones curve adjustment on to darken the birds plumage a bit.

The bright reflections in the water are a bit distracting, I know that is how it really was, but I might consider a bit of subtle vignetting of the corners to keep us focused on the bird.

If you have it, I would also prefer just a bit more room in front.

What body were you using?

Cheers

Randy

[Randy Stout]

Eric:

I have gone slightly overboard here, but this is something like I had in mind. Trying to accentuate the bird, tone down the background a bit. You can do a better job on the RAW file.

Just curves and several adjustment layers. Still needs more room in front.

Cheers

Randy.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Some good suggestions by Randy, and the repost is a mild improvement. What hurt you most here is the harsh light that gave you very contrasty conditions. I'm finding the water somewhat distracting in the BG. Perhaps a lower angle (if possible) and a wider aperture would have helped with that.

I do like the walking pose, and the film of water running off the foot is very cool. Did you catch this guy "dancing"?

[Randy Stout]

Daniel:

That's me all over "a mild improvement" kind of guy.:D:D

Good points about the contrast and shooting angle.

Cheers

Randy