Chiaroscuro Egret

[David Gancarz]

Actually an American/Common/Great Egret, depending on the whims of the AOU. This from St. Augustine Alligator Farm at the recent Florida Birding and Photo Fest with the ever-generous Art Morris. First the bad: Blue channel pegged on top of back. despite the fact that my Nikon D300 showed no blinkies in the combined RGB histogram. Note to self and other Nikon shooters: Check each channel individually (many thanks, Mr Morris). Otherwise, I like the image for the nice blur of the breeding plumage and of the leading leg (the latter cloned from another image of the same bird a few seconds later). This is no prize winner but I do rather like the mood and composition. C&C welcome, as always.

Date/Time Original : 2011:04:29 07:16 hrs
Camera Model Name : NIKON D300
Lens ID : AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D IF-ED/tripod
Shutter Speed : 1/20
Aperture : 5.6
ISO : 200
White Balance : Auto
Focal Length : 300.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 450.0 mm)
Focus Distance : 14.96 m
Depth Of Field : 0.55 m (14.69 - 15.24)
Auto Focus : On
Focus Mode : AF-C
Shooting Mode : Continuous
AF Area Mode : Dynamic Area (21 points)
Exposure Program : Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Compensation : -4/3

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

David, the blur makes it very unique. Liked it a lot. Head is nice and sharp. Some more room at bottom would have been nice.

[David Gancarz]

Concur. Some more room at the bottom is needed. I actually did add a little in PP. Another 5% would have been better at the moment of capture. Sigh.

[Arthur Morris]

I too like the mood and the blurred leg and the shaded subject. Good catch on the clipped toe by KD. I was missing that. Framing. Framing. Framing! Love teh breeding plumes but could do without the branch that nearly intersects with the bill.

Thanks a stack for your kind words and for your membership support.

[Marina Scarr]

You have a lovely subject, and it works against the dark branches. I love the movement in the feathers and the one-legged pose. Agree it would be a better capture all around if the branch were not so close to the beak.

[David Gancarz]

I'm always up to a challenge! Here is a revision of the original image with suggestions incorporated. I'd be fired if I were a photojournalist. Happily, I'm just a hobbyist.

[Arthur Morris]

David, You are seriously skilled in Photoshop. Great job with the aigrette feathers past the bill!