Great Egret in Flight

[Roger Williams]

this image was captured at about 9 AM on the west coast of Mexico. It has been cropped slightly and enhanced with shadows and hilites. I wasn't sure how much to crop the bird, but it seemed to me that it ought to have some air around it. Others may prefer a tighter crop. I like the subtle lighting on this bird and would appreciate your comments.

Canon 40D
Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS at 161mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/3200th
Aperture priority
hand held
no flash

[Fabs Forns]

Crop is fine, but I would like more room either at top or bottom, as not to place the bird in the center. The face is a bit dark and I wish for the dull down or up wing position.

[Sid Garige]

Quick mask and levels adjustment - solution of the day

[Tom Cudzilo]

Thanx for sharing. I think in what Sid did you can see how much further a bit of PP can take you these days. I would also crop more from the top and leave more on the bottom.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

I agree with the above comments but lovely eye detail Roger and many thanks for sharing !

[Roger Williams]

Thank you all for your comments and the repost. I was familiar with S/H and B/C but had not as yet discovered Levels. Looks like a very valuable tool. My PS product is Elements 5.0 and Quick Mask is not available so I'm somewhat limited. It's interesting that the repost totally changes the "mood" of the image. From a non-professional consumer perspective, most folks around here prefer the subtleness of the original post. I think the repost is an elegant illustration of the egret as a specimen.

roger