Glossy Ibis Preening

This is one of my favorites from this past season b/c of the light and how it affected the entire picture. For about half an hour, this Ibis did nothing special, and I considered moving on to the next subject. Then I reminded myself of one of my rules. Be patient and wait for the behavior to happen. Did a little bit of clean up work to the water.

Canon 1D3, Canon 500L & 2.0 TC @ 1000mm
F8, 1/800sec, ISO 640, manual mode
Feisol tripod, Jobu head

C & C always welcomed and much appreciated.

Marina Scarr
www.marinascarrphotography.com

These birds simply shine in good light like you have here. I like this image, it has a simple elegance to it. The only tweak that I might suggest is to slightly lighten the tail so my eye isn't tempted to drift there.

Marina:

Excellent preening pose, like feather in bill, and the light has really brought out his subtle coloration. They often don't show their true colors unless the light is just right.

I could see several different crops as options, with a bit off top, or bottom, but the colors balance well as is.

I have a 5 minute rule. I always try to wait five more minutes than I planned, to get that last minute action/pose.

Cheers

Randy

Oh man, is this the one I missed cause I went after the white pelicans that day? The light, the pose, the colors all come together so beautifully here, Marina. I like the different shapes and the colors of the out of focus vegetation at bottom, could also see a crop without it. I like Grace's suggestion on the eye and think its worth trying.
Splendid image--and lesson on waiting.

Beautiful portrait, great pose and colours.

Great light and colors. Details look excellent! Nicely done here Marina!

Very lovely image.
The golden water and layers within are beautiful.How I wish it carried through to the bottom of the frame. Great preening pose and the light "is to die for".
I love the 2 little fluffed feathers on the right side and the luster of the feather he is holding in his beak.
Comp is good and would also look great with a bit off the top down to the blue, eliminating the gold band.
Gail

Nice picture; lovely colors. I like the way the blue background "frames" the head, showing off its detail better than if it were set against the golden background, as is the bird's body.

Excellent Photo Marina. I love the OOF BG & FG. Color is perfect as is the sharpness and exposure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Melissa Groo

Oh man, is this the one I missed cause I went after the white pelicans that day?

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The very one, Melissa!

Very nice work Marina! Great quality and detail with the 500 and 2.0TC. I personally like the comp as is but I could see taking a little off the bottom to remove the foliage as mentioned for another option. Exposure is great and absolutely love the light,colors and BG! Beautiful Shot!

Great rule to follow, and your patience paid off on this one. Wonderful light, pose. I could imagine several crop options, but I like it just as is. In a way, the golden band at the top balances the oof vegetation on the bottom, framing the bird very nicely. Amazing how much color these guys have when the light is right. Just lovely.

Excellent image Marina! I like the pose, colours, IQ, composition and exposure.

Ooh I like this alot! Great preen, colours, water texture, well balanced comp. I even like the vegetation at bottom. Well done Marina!

What a pretty photo! I like it a lot as is, but can see cropping off the top and bottom.
Beautiful light.

I love everything but the green vegetation at bottom, which distracts my eye from the rest of the beauty here...vey well done indeed. And so lucky are you to have access to an otherworldly bird as this!

Marina - gorgeous light, details and colors all combine for an excellent image. I like the preening pose too.

TFS,
Rachel

Beautiful image Marina,love the light,sharp and good details,nice pose.well done.

sweet light pose and iridescent colors Marina

Hi Marina, stunning light, and you have timed and captured the pose perfectly. The overall colours do show up nicely, and I like how the feathers are jutting out from both sides of the Ibis.

Thank you all for the advice and positive comments. Based upon your advice, I am reposting the Ibis with more details in the dark tail and without the green vegetation in the FG. I think I like it better. I don't think I ever considered cropping it out. What say you?

Yes, looks splendid!!

Nice shot my friend, I think I watched you take this that day. I love how the colors stand out in the sun light. Sharp, nice comp. great work