Very nice Kevin. I like the way the soft wind shows off the plumage. The texture on the wooden branch is nice too. Some people might find the branch shooting upward a distraction, but I dont. I like the whole image, subject and setting.
Kevin, I like the immediate eye contact one makes with this subject, the delicate detail of the feathers and the dramatic contrast between the egret and the bg. If the image were mine, I would try to eliminate elements that takes one's eye away from the subject. Try eliminating the branch behind the egret and the white line at the bottom. Toning down the bright bg elements in the left and right upper quads would be helpful. Is there more room on the right?
Thanks for the comments guys. Removing the branch behind the bird is probably more than I am willing to do (because of effort needed in dealing with the fine feathers, not because of ethics), but toning down the highlights in the background and removing the white stick at the bottom I can definitely do.
I have plenty of room on both sides as this was shot horizontal but in cropping this to a 3:2 vertical I kept it tight on the right so there would be plenty of room on the left for the bird to look in to. Would you recommend a less conventional crop so there would be more room on the right (or on both sides)? Or would you just prefer a more centered composition with the same aspect ratio?
Snowey egret
