Getting anything near a decent exposure on these little rockets is tough (I shall have to re-read Artie's books again as I recall a description for Egret whites but not the detail).
The BG here is not great but I liked the pose even despite the head not being oriented towards the lens ;)
I opted for a broader crop to include the little "skid" on the water behind him. Too much canvas maybe?
Canon 50 D
400mm f5.6
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/1600
Av( Aperture Value ) 6.3
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed 400
Good timing, and the full wings-back position is ideal. It's true exposure can be tricky on this species, unfortunately the harsh light here made it even more difficult for you to achieve detail in both lights and darks (see the near blown whites + blocked blacks). Try early morning/late evening, or overcast days. I do think there is too much canvas...the little "skid" is not strong enough to justify the centered comp...you can crop at least half of the space at right. Good observation about head angle.
Cool landing pose and eye contact. I agree with Daniel regarding composition and exposure. I would try to get more details in the shadows by using curves and/or S/H.
The landing
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