Great Egret

[John Storjohann]

I took this one yesterday in the 1904 Aviary of the St. Louis Zoo. 100-400 lens @ 350mm, f/5.6@1/1000. Processed the RAW file in LR; brought it into PS, applied a bit of a curve for tone, and then used PB->Oil Paint for the effect. Final touch was applied using NIK Color Efex->Tonal Contrast on a layer with 18% opacity. I spent a good bit of time shooting portraits of this egret in several poses...some with the neck slightly extended, looking down...this was the pose I settled on.

[Cheryl Slechta]

John, this is beautiful. I really like the bg and the PB effect, particularly on the bill. The pose is gorgeous.:S3:

[Brendan Dozier]

Great looking bird and portrait, John! Nicely framed and good job exposing the whites. Love how you enhanced the texture of the feathers with your filtering. Nice even light with good contrast against the dark BG. Very minor, but there are two slightly distracting diagnonal lines in the BG just under the upper part of the bill area, and I might try blending those in some.

[Indranil Sircar]

John, this is beautiful! Great pose and details on the egret. I like the bg and the whites are fantastic... very nice use of filters. I would preferred less effect on the bill, if it were mine. Excellent work :S3:

[Kerry Perkins]

John, nice use of effects to make a super image! The feather detail is really nicely enhanced. My only suggestions would be to add some saturation to the eye and lores area and to add a little bit of canvas on the left, where it feels a little bit tight to me. Nice work!

[John Storjohann]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions! I extended the canvas a bit on the LHS, and added some saturation to the eyes and lores; I also blended the BG lines beneath the upper bill (good catch, Brendan!). Have a good one.

[denise ippolito]

John, Lovely pose and processing work. The repost looks great. I might tone down a few of the brightest whites if it were mine. Intense stare! These birds are one of my favorites to photograph, they are so elegant and their poses can be fantastic!:S3:

[Nancy Bell]

Excellent repost. I love the silky elegant look to the white feathers and the dramatic lighting.

[Anita Bower]

I like seeing the detail of the white feathers--very nice. Interesting patterns in the bill--I think the degree of pattern is a matter of personal taste and what one is trying to achieve. Your second post addresses some minor issues. The bg works nicely here.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Sweet job on the repost and agree with Kerry on a touch more room on the LH side.......even for me!

[Dave Mills]

Hi John, Nicely handled for reasons mentioned above.I would extend the left a bit more...

[Jay Sheinfield]

Love the lighting and filter effect on this one, John. The feathers almost glow! Great details. Agree on the RP preference.

[Brendan Dozier]

Repost looks great, John!

[John Storjohann]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Denise, I took the whites down just a smidge...and Roman and Dave, I added a bit more to the LHS again. Take care.

[Bob Miller]

John....You really nailed the whites and feather detail in this shot. The bill is interesting but I like this so much I almost think I would prefer a straight rendition myself. Your final repost is " right on"

[John Storjohann]

Bob, thank you for your comments! I've been tempted to post a shot or two to the Avian forum...but I'm a little nervous about that! Maybe in time!

[denise ippolito]

John, Don"t be nervous. Randy and Daniel are sweethearts and so is Artie-really. The members posting in that forum like all the others just want to help each other out. Please don't ever feel nervous about posting an image. :S3: BTW The repost rocks!

[John Storjohann]

Denise, thank you for your encouragement...it's just that I am such a novice with birds, and virtually all of the birds I take images of are captive, shot either in the outdoor aviary at the St. Louis Zoo or at the World Bird Sanctuary. I have tremendous respect for the photographers you mentioned and the ability they have in their craft; and Art's been wonderful in his critiques...I learn something from him even when I may see things a little differently!...in fact, what I'm finding is that not only do you learn from everyone's critiques here, you learn from writing critiques...it makes you more reflective, more discerning, and it carries over to the field. Thanks again...you're a gem.

Bob, here's the original...with essentially the same suggestions taken in that were made for the OOTB piece. I always appreciate your comments and suggestions. Take care.