Ruffled

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 7D
Canon EF400mm f/5.6L
1/1000sec f/7.1 ISO 200 HH

S/H, sharpening, B/W conversion in CS5

[Levina de Ruijter]

Hi Ian. I'm not much of a fan of B&W conversions, but I think it works really well here. A nice image with a bird that to me seems well exposed. Composition is nice too. I do wonder if those whites are white enough though. I would try adding a bit more light to them.

[Peter Farrell]

Hi Ian, I really like the ruffled feather look. Details look good and I like it as a BW but think it is a little dark overall.
Peter

[Ian Cassell]

Thank you. I'll lighten it up and see how it looks. For interest, Levina, here is the color version.

[David Stephens]

I prefer the color version, which shows little color except the dramatic beak and feet. I really like the composition, pose and smooth bokeh.

[Levina de Ruijter]

It won't come as a surprise that I prefer the colour version too, Ian. I still think it's a tad too dark, but lovely nonetheless.

[Lance Peters]

Hi Ian - one thing to keep in mind in these situations - keep a eye on those strong horizontal lines - see the one I mean???
The shoreline creates a contrast line that cuts through the birds neck/back - Always try and avoid if possibe - so while a lower shooting angle is often considered best - here a slightly higher shooting angle would have been worth investigating.

Keep em coming :)

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, folks. I see what you mean about the shoreline, Lance, but it didn't really bother me until you mentioned it

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Hi Ian. I think some images are good candidates for B&W and some are not. I'm not to sure about this one. Losing the characteristic yellows of the snowy egret is IMO a pretty big loss. I have converted to B&W and restored the yellow in this image of a snowy egret I posted a while back in OOTB. http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/45510-Snowy-Egret?p=341985#post341985.
I thought you might try something similar with your image. regards~Bill