Snowy Egret at first light.

[Bob Blanchard]

I know we've all probably captured a million Snowy Egrets (Artie probably has at least TWO million :)), but I just can't resist them at first light. Nothing fancy about this one. I just love the light.

Canon 1DsMII, 600mm f/4 IS, f/5, 1/800, ISO 200, +2/3 EV, Off Tripod. Captured at Little Estero Lagoon last Friday.

[Doug Brown]

Nice photo Bob! You did good with the light!

[Judd Patterson]

Bob, nice job on the whites...they are just under control. Still I feel the image is a little on the dark side, so I would suggest perhaps a carefully tweaked curves adjustment to bring up some of the darker tones without blowing the whites. I'm always torn on reflections like this as well. Maybe a super low angle would have yielded a new view with a more interesting background (or maybe it would have thrown in a lot of chaos)...just a thought for the future. As common as they may be in Florida, the Snowy Egret is not necessarily easy pickens in much of the country...so keep on building your collection for this species!

[Jasper Doest]

Well...first of all I've never captured a snowy in my life ;-)

Second...that is some light!!!!!!!!! Personally I would like to see a lower angle on this one. It certainly would add to this photograph and create a different perspective.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great light and mood captured and yes, you should be glad they are so cooperative. :) I agree on lower angle and ligthening it a bit, and might also sharpen the bird some more.

[Grace Scalzo]

A very elegant image of this beauty. I wonder why lighten it, as you clearly took it early in the am, and this probably reflects the time of day in which the image was made. I love the rich, deep tones of the bg, the warm light on the bird, and for my 2 cents would leave it as is. Agree with more sharpening (Slight).

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Lovely image captured in awesome lighting. Like this a lot Bob. As mentioned very elegant.

[Bob Blanchard]

Hey all,

Thanks for the comments! I can probably give the sharpening another nudge here (you all know me - I'm usually very reserved when it comes to sharpening).

Regarding the POV, and the reflection: This was a compositional decision. I felt the blurred water provided a superior BG to a lower POV/split hoizon. The reflection was intentionally "cut" (instead of "clipped") to highlight compositional intent. I nudged it from f/4 to f/5 to ensure I had just enough DOF to compensate for the angled body of the bird at this distance, yet still maintain the intended bokeh of the open aperture. This is nearly a full frame image, with just a slight bit of cropping for alignment. The light is as Grace pointed out....That wonderfully golden warm early morning first light. I think it's a pretty accurate representation of the actual light, and definitely the intended effect. It probably falls into that subjective category of "some love it, and some don't". That said, though, take a stab at it and re-ppost. Would love to see the comparison.