Great Egret

[Tom Walter]

This Great Egret's green lore is stunning. I took this shot in early April at our subdivision lake in Crest Hill, IL, about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. The image was cropped in landscape format. Would it be better in portrait format? Your comments are welcome.
NikonD7000
Nikon70-300 4.5-5.6G VR
1/1600sec at f/7.1 and 300mm
ISO400
Handheld

[Diane Miller]

Nice catch! They do sport great colors, don't they? My husband thinks it's gang colors. I think the amount of forward lean suits the landscape orientation well. I wonder if there is a little more detail to be found in the neck and head, but maybe not. Looks like the light angle was straight-on.

I'd think about darkening the OOF FG and trying for a little detail there -- probably not much you could have done about it without moving and spooking the bird.

[Marina Scarr]

Terrific exposure, sharpness and details on this egret. I wish I could see the feet. In this instance, I would try to move the bird to the left of the frame to keep it out of the center.