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Great Egret
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Great Egret

by Tom Webster

Gallery: AvianPosted September 1, 201095 views11 comments
Arizona light can be very harsh yielding images with high contrast. Normally I find this very frustating. However, high contrast back lighting actually helped this image. The upper left wing shoulder is totally white and the black legs nearly blend with the dark background. What makes this image interesting to me is the translucence of the wings and the reflections bouncing off the water making irregular patterns on the wings.

Canon 500mm f4L IS lens, Canon 40D camera, ISO 400, 1/800 sec, f 11.

Comments

11 comments
Comment posted by Ákos Lumnitzer on September 1, 2010 at 4:47 AM
It's quite a nice flight image Tom. :smile: I like the reflections on the wings' undersides; that's what grabbed my eyes straight away. I would do away with the frame though. :smile:
Registered on April 24, 2004, 25 Posts, 510 Comments
Comment posted by Mia McPherson on September 1, 2010 at 8:34 AM
Tom,

I love how the reflections bounce back onto the wings of this egret, the sharp face and the wing position.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments
Comment posted by Keith Bauer on September 1, 2010 at 9:04 AM
You handled the harsh light nicely. I like the water reflections showing up in the under part of the wings. That red border around the frame really pulls me away from the intended subject.
Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on September 1, 2010 at 9:27 AM
Cool image Tom. I like the effect and the way the oof trees? in the bg mimic the curve of the wings. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 1, 2010 at 10:54 AM
This is nice Tom. I like the water reflections under the wings and the nice arc to the wings. Nice sharpness to the head for 1/800s. Not easy to do.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by David Haynes on September 1, 2010 at 4:59 PM
Tom,
In total agreement with your analysis. I love the flared out tail. Looks like there is a very busy background so the fact that it is a high contrast image helps to blacken most of that out. Given the conditions, very nicely pulled off.
Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments
Comment posted by Andrea Marzorati on September 1, 2010 at 6:05 PM
Great atmosphere in this picture, I like! :toast: :wavey:
Registered on December 1, 2005, 86 Posts, 589 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Dudley on September 1, 2010 at 7:32 PM
Hey Tom, I really like the bent wing flight pose and the reflections underneath the wings. Those trailing water drops are a nice addition against the dark background. For my tastes, the contrasty light was a tough obstacle to overcome with the brightness on the top of the left wing and the relatively harsh shadow thrown across the egrets neck.
Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments
Comment posted by Hali Sowle on September 1, 2010 at 9:29 PM
Love those reflections under the wing and the two water droplets being thrown off by the legs. Nice sharp face and nice wing position too.
Registered on January 9, 2008, 36 Posts, 582 Comments
Comment posted by Eric Diller on September 1, 2010 at 9:52 PM
Great shot. Well exposed and the reflection under the wings really adds to the photo!
:toast:
Registered on October 2, 2009, 69 Posts, 434 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on September 2, 2010 at 10:12 PM
Great shot Tom, I especially like the refracted light under the wings I see.
Nice flight/wing pose & POV, well done :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments