Great Egret Fishing - Part 1

Hi guys,

I took this already a few weeks ago but I haven't found time even to go thru most of the cards lately. But as you can see from the heading I have another photo coming still from the same bird...

This was taken on a sunny day and I tried to save details on whites as much as I could. I think the exposure is quite right, at least I didn't see any warnings. The light was just plain harsh. My other self critic is related to the angle. I wish I could have been able to shoot this from lower but...

EOS MK3 + 500/4 + 2.0 TC
F/8
CW-Average 1/3200; -1/3
ISO 500
Car used as a hide (can't wait to get Artie's bean bag which should arrive tomorrow).

I cropped the photo slightly in PS and did just normal sharpening (using this time the smart sharpening instead of unmask).

Any comments how I can do better next time again are appreciated... :)


Cheers,

Mikko

Hi Mikko - have done well considering the harsh light - agree with your self critique - have to love the water drops frozen in mid air.
Exposure looks good considering the light.

As to how to improve - Have attempted many of these myself and its all about trying to get yourself into a position that gives you the best shooting angle - which can be difficult as these guys tend to move around a bit - Best times I have found are when they find a food source concentrated in the one area (Due to current or a eddy)
Mostly I find the action happens so fast with these that you need to hold that shutter button down and review the images later - Manual exposure mode could also be useful if the BG is likely to change.

Good show! :)

I agree with Lance - I believe you did as well as you could considering your circumstances. A HA coming towards you instead of tilted away would certainly give you a stronger image but this is right up there. Great action...good exposure...nice water/light pattern on the feathers..it makes for a beautiful image!

Nice one Mikko. Love the action conveyed here with the water spout wrapping around the head. Regarding the tonality as presented, you could lighten the mid-tones in Levels or Curves without affecting the highlights. IMO the image needs a mid of lightening there (BTW I tried this Ps and it worked great).

Thanks again guys.

I did what John proposed. Not sure which one I like more. I tend to leave my photos little darker, I have noticed. Must mean that I like them that way... :D

I think the eye looked better on the first trial. I should have probably darken (and sharpen) it bit more here.


Mikko

I like the saturation and levels of the original much better than the repost. Great job of timing and exposure, nice feather and water illumination on the body. I think I would crop tighter on the bottom and right. Without a full reflection on the bottom and full splash on the right, it feels better to me to be tighter. I would aim for the splash above the head to point up from the corner - not start at the corner, but aligned with.