Susan Cifaldi
May 2023 - I'm Available
Original
About the Image(s)
Snowy egrets are unmistakable with their golden slippers and their penchant for finding food-on-the-fly ("dip-fishing" -- which gives a new meaning to the term "fast food.") :-) This little one is advertising its availability during the height of the Florida breeding season in unique snowy style by pointing its head skyward and then uttering a squawk followed by a series of gulping sounds. Very attractive -- especially if you are a snowy of the opposite sex. :-)
Nikon D850 with ISO of only 280!! because I was wide open at f/4 with the 300 prime. The shutter speed was 1/4000 (because I forgot to change it after shooting a lovely spoonbill in flight). I didn't really need to worry about noise (it was a nice day with decent light) -- unless, of course, you all tell me otherwise :-) (still not good at detecting/dealing with noise). I did crop and lighten up the background, which I think helped to increase detail in the breeding feathers. Overall I was pleased with the focus -- I think the contrast between the snowy and its surroundings helped the autofocus do its job. If I could do things over, I would try to find an egret who was not nesting near all that whitewash!
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
Even though I am definitely NOT a male snowy I can certainly recognize the beauty of the female of the species. i will note that the young lady in question went a bit heavy handed (or heavy winged--is that possible) in the use of her rouge pot. But I'm sure she thinks she is lovely (an ornithologist would disagree). If the day featured decent light as you say then the settings are not back. The whites are not blown out (that is the most important part) and the overall exposure seems fine. Your 280 ISO is low enough to retain quality and as you note noise is that a factor as there are really no dark areas to worry about. Shooting at f4 with a prime is do-able since the bird is in a profile position with wings folded and is thus not a "deep" subject. The high shutter speed is never a problem with birds becasue of their natural movement. You can never have too fast of a shutter.
My issue is with the composition. For what you have in the original image you have cropped it to the best possible composition and I do not mind seeing the bird in the center as it is nicely framed by the contrasting leaves. There is adequate space at both the top and on the left side. The issue is the bottom of the frame. The bird is all squeezed together and with her body pushed against the bottom of the frame it feel like something is missing and she is crammed into the frame. A bit of green below her would complete the framing. Additionally the breeding plumage includes the feathers on the top of the head and the neck as well as the tail and all that is crushed together and we miss out on seeing it.
Since this young lady is truly tall and graceful and looks her best when she extends her neck to its full length and points her bill skyward I feel you would have had a better breeding plumage image if you had captured that extended neck position. For the image you have this is the best you could show and it looks quite nice. Posted: 05/04/2023 12:36:07
My issue is with the composition. For what you have in the original image you have cropped it to the best possible composition and I do not mind seeing the bird in the center as it is nicely framed by the contrasting leaves. There is adequate space at both the top and on the left side. The issue is the bottom of the frame. The bird is all squeezed together and with her body pushed against the bottom of the frame it feel like something is missing and she is crammed into the frame. A bit of green below her would complete the framing. Additionally the breeding plumage includes the feathers on the top of the head and the neck as well as the tail and all that is crushed together and we miss out on seeing it.
Since this young lady is truly tall and graceful and looks her best when she extends her neck to its full length and points her bill skyward I feel you would have had a better breeding plumage image if you had captured that extended neck position. For the image you have this is the best you could show and it looks quite nice. Posted: 05/04/2023 12:36:07
Susan - Great bird, great feather detail, great color, great eye, great lore; it just looks like someone sat on her to flatten her down. She is spring-loaded to extend, and I'm waiting for her to go upwards. Still, a beautiful bird. Nice capture. The D850 and 300mm f/4 are a great combo! Posted: 05/04/2023 18:18:51
Thank you both! I thought "it" might be a "she" but wasn't sure. I metered on the white bird so wasn't surprised that the background came out dark. I was happy with the way this came out (and relieved to find some good keepers in my Florida folder).
Next time, I will remember to include a "bottom" to my image :-) I was so entranced with this little snowy that I didn't think about all the compsposition angles, I just wanted to get her, her pose, and those lovely breeding feathers crisp and clear. Posted: 05/05/2023 09:30:29
Next time, I will remember to include a "bottom" to my image :-) I was so entranced with this little snowy that I didn't think about all the compsposition angles, I just wanted to get her, her pose, and those lovely breeding feathers crisp and clear. Posted: 05/05/2023 09:30:29
I don't mean to sound "preachy" but many beginning photographers do not pay attention to composition. They are quite worried about capturing the all important subject. Photography is sort of like serving a gourmet meal. You can't serve a classic meal on a paper plate. You have to consider the background just as much as the subject.
I would suggest that you consider the PSA online course Image Evaluation. It is only 6 lessons spread over 12 weeks (a bit more time if you need it) and will really help you understand what makes a good image and how to prepare to obtain one. Posted: 05/05/2023 09:40:24
I would suggest that you consider the PSA online course Image Evaluation. It is only 6 lessons spread over 12 weeks (a bit more time if you need it) and will really help you understand what makes a good image and how to prepare to obtain one. Posted: 05/05/2023 09:40:24
Snowy's are my favorite wading birds. Very nice shot of this gal Susan. I will agree about the background in your image. There about 3 rookeries where I live that have lots of birds, but I very seldom photograph there because the vegetation just does not lend itself to good photos of the birds. The beautiful birds are always in competition with the bushes. The other thing mentioned was that there are much greater images to be had by waiting for the bird to fully display those feathery plumes. I think the colors and the sharpness of the image are spot on. Posted: 05/08/2023 09:45:20
Thank you! I did wqit a while, but she was going nowhere. Pretty sure she was sitting on something -- a nest? Not likely if she was displaying for a mate, but in any event, the bus was leaving and I had to go. Can't wait to go back!!!
Larry, I will sign up today, thanks for the suggestion!
Posted: 05/08/2023 11:38:53
Larry, I will sign up today, thanks for the suggestion!
Posted: 05/08/2023 11:38:53
With a buss involve changes the thing about waiting for hours to get the image you may want. Posted: 05/18/2023 07:25:37
You really captured a lovely display pose, and did a good job of not blowing out the white plumes. It's ok in my opinion for the vegetation to be a bit dark, if that's what it takes to get the detail in the white subject. Given your original capture, I like the way you cropped the image.
I too would love to see more space at the bottom, whether the bird was visible or it was vegetation under what's visible of the bird. There is a lot to think about when photographing birds, between all the technical bits and composition. It does get easier with practice and experience, things become more automatic and reactions become quicker :)
Posted: 05/09/2023 14:11:35
I too would love to see more space at the bottom, whether the bird was visible or it was vegetation under what's visible of the bird. There is a lot to think about when photographing birds, between all the technical bits and composition. It does get easier with practice and experience, things become more automatic and reactions become quicker :)
Posted: 05/09/2023 14:11:35
Hey Susan, I think you did a great job all the way around on this one. What an interesting pose! And great feather detail, except maybe on the bird's head where it might be a bit overexposed. That doesn't detract from the overall image IMO. Cropped just right and background lightened just right. Posted: 05/12/2023 11:30:08
Susan,
What a stiking image of this egret! You've gotten the whites just right and the eye is very sharp! Great job! I agree with the other commenters that you might give us more room below the bird. My other suggestion is to tone down the shiny leaves on the left side. They draw my eye away from the bird. Perhaps when you shoot scenes like this, use a polarizing filter to cut down on that shine. Otherwise you can do it pretty easily in post processing. Posted: 05/13/2023 10:03:05
What a stiking image of this egret! You've gotten the whites just right and the eye is very sharp! Great job! I agree with the other commenters that you might give us more room below the bird. My other suggestion is to tone down the shiny leaves on the left side. They draw my eye away from the bird. Perhaps when you shoot scenes like this, use a polarizing filter to cut down on that shine. Otherwise you can do it pretty easily in post processing. Posted: 05/13/2023 10:03:05