Reddish Egret strike

[Jeannean Ryman]

I took this photo a while back and have reworked it several times. I still am not happy with it, so thought I'd post it here to get some needed feedback. I've tried several different crops and tend to like one closer to square better than this one, but something about that seemed "off" too. Shooting conditions: early overcast morning, Nikon D7000/500mm f/4-P, ISO 320@1/1600, f/5.6 on a tripod/gimbal head. Suggestions, ideas, and comments are most welcome!

[Julie Brown]

Hi Jeannean. There is a lot to like about this image-great timing, nice feather detail, and the low angle brings the viewer into the action. This crop seems fine to me. Have you tried giving it a bit more negative space on the sides and top?

[Colin Gilyeat]

Jeannean, the white background, it really sets the colors of the egret off. Iy seems little close to the left edge, so maybe a little more space there. Other than that I really like to image, nice color and detail, although to me, the legs look a little out of focus.

Colin

[Jeannean Ryman]

Thank you Julie and Colin. Good suggestions on the cropping. Haven't tried more negative space, so will give that a go. Colin, I noticed the legs after I posted here. They weren't sharply focused on the original, but not nearly so out of focus before resizing. I'll look into fixing that as well. I appreciate your time and suggestions!

[Bob Miller]

Hi Jeannean....I like the image as posted...I would only try to sharpen the legs...the crop looks fine to me!

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Jeannean, I think it looks just fine as posted. I like the pose, color, detail, and crop. You had some exposure margin and could have stopped down some to get a little more DOF. I really like the display of the wings, nice job.

[Clyde Hopper]

Hi Jeannean, I have thought about this photograph a bit , And here are my thoughts.....For what they are worth ...lol

When I first open the photo ,my initial reaction is to squint . Why? well I think because ,If this were "Live " the back ground would be bright enough for the bird to be a silhouette . which makes the fact that the bird is exposed properly (To Me ) feel unnatural . so with that ,my remedy is to replace the Bg with a darker one .
Just sharing my thought . your mileage may very .