I actually took this photo on February 28th, but only recently had time to review my images and edit them. I arrived right when Gatorland opened at 9 AM to get the last of the morning light on the Rookery. I positioned myself across from one of the few nests that did not have a lot of obstructions and an active pair building their nest. This is the shot I liked best, with one of the pair just arriving and passing a branch to the waiting Egret to be placed on the nest.
I would have liked to blur the BG more, but I opted for more DOF to ensure focus on both birds regardless of their actions. I also have a new monitor and upgraded my editing software, so I hope I've managed the post-processing on these difficult all-white birds a bit better than in the past. Editing is limited to managing the tones and color to recreate what I saw in person that morning and minimal cropping to achieve an 11x14 proportion. I'm considering additional editing to clone out the brown branches in the BG.
Technical data: Canon EOS 450D, Canon EF 100-400 f4.5/5.6 IS USM, 180 mm, f/7.1, 1/800 sec, ISO 200, shot using a monopod for added stability, post-processing using Lightroom 3.3 and PS CS5.
Dawn, you have a very nice capture here. The green lores are beautiful. I agree on your assessment of the BG, it can be difficult to balance the BG blur while still maintaining focus, especially on two subjects at the same time. You did well here.
Dawn, I also love how the green lores match up with the greens in the BG - really a nice touch! I think you did very well with the birds - they seem to have good detail throughout and the handoff is a nice added interest to the image. The BG feels a bit harsh in sunlight - have you tried to open up the nest at all with a shadow/highlight adjustment? You can always mask out the white birds so just the nest gets a little more light on it.
I definitely think a crop from the top would remove some of the dark brown mess in the BG and make for a more pleasing image. Overall, I think you did very well - this is definitely something to be proud of.
Hi Dawn - lovely intimate image - agree with the above comments - some cloning work on the brown branches would improve this and kick it up a notch.
Keep em coming :)
The Hand Off
