Snowy Egret – How The “Little Things” Can Make Or Break A Shot

It goes without saying that the appeal of a photo isn’t always universal. After all, viewers have varying tastes and tolerance for imperfection. I suspect this image will be one of those but I like it even though it’s far from perfect.

 

snowy egret 8534 ron dudley1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 400, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

I photographed this Snowy Egret at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge four days ago. When it roused I fired off a burst and this is one of the shots in that series. I didn’t even realize I’d captured a loose feather as it fell to the water until I reviewed my images at home.

There’s a variety of elements I like in the image including that falling feather and its reflection, the setting with its gorgeous colors and patterns and of course the rousing behavior of the egret. But I wish the tail had not been in shade. Because it’s shaded, at first glance I hardly notice the tail and for me that makes the apparent shape of the bird a little odd.

So like most of my images I take the good with the bad and hope the former outweighs the latter – in this case, for me, it does. One day I may take that “perfect shot” but in the meantime I’ll have fun (and be frustrated) trying.

Ron

 

30 Comments

  1. It’s lovely and I feel a sense of peace when I look at it.

  2. You will never take a ‘perfect’ photo. And if you said you had I might die of shock. Your picky, pedantic self is always going to strive for ‘more’ and ‘better’.
    I am however grateful that you ‘inflict’ your less than stellar shots on us. And, as you know, would so like to explore your discards. With Patty.

    • Thanks, EC, but it would take you several lifetimes to go through my discards. Literally…

      And you’re right, I will never take a perfect photo. I’ve come fairly close a few times (IMO) but no cigar.

  3. OK. HERE ARE A FEW: The focal point(the bird) is placed in 1/3 of the way of the “canvas”( is not centered), there is a nice balance of “push/pull” ( dark/light), there’s a sense of implied action (ripples in the water, falling feather). The “horizon” does not go right through the horizontal “middle” , the color and detail of the subject is sharp and distinct…in contrast to the softer, subtle colors and patterns in the water….it makes my eyes travel…AND, I can’t get enough pictures of Snowy Egrets–ever!!!

    • Now, please tell me why you shot it that way…

      • Patty, this isn’t the way I shot it but it IS the way I cropped it. I put the bird in the frame where I did for the following reasons:

        1. I wanted to give the egret room in front to look into.
        2. I wanted to include the reflection of the falling feather but not any more of the reflection of the bird than I had to because it became more distracting as more of it was included (I hate cut off reflections of birds). And I didn’t have the entire reflection to start with.
        3. I had to rotate the image to level it and doing so cut out part of what I had in the frame to work with.

        Those were some of my thoughts as I cropped to the composition I thought worked best considering what I had to work with.

        • All good…especially lkie the first rationale…that’s using the “rule of threes”, the “rule of thirds”, “the golden”means”.. Or ” lots of experience and a good eye” …I’m betting on the last….

  4. But you have nice feather definition of a white bird in a dark back ground. For me very hard to do. I spent a good part of a morning practicing this exact thing. I did not get one shot out of 300 I was happy with. More practice…….

    • “I did not get one shot out of 300 I was happy with. More practice…….”

      Been there and done that, April, many times. You’re right – it does take practice but appropriate light for a bright white bird is also extremely important.

  5. What a glorious shot, and again, your Perfectionist Self is far too critical. Yes, I know about that Perfectionist Self! Personally, my eye went directly to the molted feather in an arc from the egret’s beak, through its feathers. Why? Right now, I probably have three molted down feathers on me somewhere or other. I pull them off, but they keep coming back. It’s molting time 😉 Wearing gray doesn’t help…they go into my hair then. I’m blessed!

    • Your last comment made me smile, Laura!

    • We live in a house of birds. We often tell each other ” You are molting.” Damn feathers turn up everywhere!

      • Feathers and dog/cat hair are ubiquitous in my life–I’m always carrying them around on me. They’re just a part of life–the good part! The down feathers are EVERYWHERE and sometimes I SWEAR you could construct aircraft with them. They’re sticky!!

    • Laura–I’m a little confused…who ‘s molting…you? Or some other bird???

      • Patty, the resident redtail hawk, Harris’ hawk and Kestrel, but with the number of feathers on me at any given time, I sometimes wonder if it is me!

  6. Hi Ron, great pic, especially like the “ruffled” look. How do you set the EV for a shot in this situation?

    • Bill, I’ve never been particularly comfortable with using the histogram for exposure so for this type of shot (white bird against a fairly dark background) I increase exposure (EV) until the “blinkies” just begin to go off on my screen in a test shot.

  7. I love everything about this shot! The pose, the white against dark, the loose feather and implied action, its reflection, the warm sienna color of the water and the subtle greens, the darker tail implying the coolness of nearby shade…everything!

  8. The best thing Florida has to offer are its Egrets and Pelicans. Thanks for this beautiful picture.

  9. The water is what first catches my eye in this photo Ron. I love the colors in the reflection. Sometimes I think having a subject in a photo, like the egret in this case, allows for a great photo of a scene that might not be as exciting. In other words, just the beautiful water in this case. Without trying to be a wise guy, my first quick look at the image I thought the airborne feather might have been bird poop :-).

  10. The good far outweighs the bad on this Ron. I see exactly what your talking about but still…a very pleasing photo.

  11. If I just look at this photo casually, the bird definitely appears to be an odd shape, because the shaded tail disappears into the background for me. However, when I look at the photo closely, which is required to see exactly what the bird is doing, it changes what I see, and I really like it. I’m always happy to see Snowy Egrets, and as always for me, the shot doesn’t have to be perfect to be enjoyable.

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