This bird was right in front of me. As a storm front was approaching The Alafia Banks, riverview, Florida,, this egret was trying to get a meal.
Canon EOS 7D, 500mm f/4, manual mode, ISO 1000, f/8, ss 1/1250
I would agree, you got a nice pose and head angle but it appears slightly under-exposed and very soft. I would also favor a little more space on the right.
Do you recall how close you were and your focusing method on this one? Maybe the bird was inside the minimum focusing distance on the 500 (which would seem unlikely) or maybe you had the focus limiting switch engaged?
I was caught in depth of field jail. I kept the aperture at f/8. The lighting was poor and I was concentrating on keeping a high shutter speed. I had focused at the base of the neck where the head was originally. When the action started, the head went forward and out of the focal plane. It is one of those images where I wanted it to work but it just doesn't. Even if I dress it up in a new suit, the face will still be ugly! Oh well ...... Will post other images from the trip.
Okay... I couldn't let it go. I went back to the original and prepared the file for posting. I think something was lost in the original posting. I am more satisfied with thiis version.
Thanks Ian. I just went back through the preparation for posting on the web process. I was careful to use Smart Sharpen and reduced the max width to 900 pixels. The image is still soft around the head but is more acceptable as a post. As with all of these posts, it is difficult to convey they joy and excitement of being there to witness the birds and their behavior. Thanks for your comment.
Reddish Egret
Oh well ...... Will post other images from the trip.
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