Little egret (Egretta garzetta) with Emperor dragonfly

Hand held, I spotted this egret reaching out and taking dragonflies as easy as picking grapes off a vine. Unfortunately the wing spread poses didn't offer best photographic situations. The electronic viewfinder is very reliable in cases like these where you can see a live histogram but also live blinkies.

Image input equipment model : Olympus E-M1X
Lens Model : M.300mm F4.0 + MC-14
Lens focal length : 420 mm
Focal length in 35 mm film : 841.0mm
Exposure mode : Manual exposure
Photographic Sensitivity : 200
Exposure bias : 0 EV
Exposure time : 1/2000 sec
F number : F5.6
Flash : OFF

ACR + PSCC

Yes, mirrorless does make the EXP much easier. That BG is close, but since it is dark toned the subject with perfect whites really pops. Love the prey as well. TFS

Techs are spot on and the dragonfly capture rocks but the BKGR is an image killer for me ...

with love, a

I like the atypical prey but I agree with Arite, the BG is just too busy and a bit grainy, the side light didn't help either....

TFS

Thanks for the feedback I agree he was just too close to the background, this was the best separation I got.

Detail on the bird looks great. The dragonfly is a big bonus. The vertical crop works very well.