Jerry Snyder
September 2023 - Flying Egret
About the Image(s)
The image was taken from a moving boat on the Chobe River. The egret was flying past the boat at the level of some tall grass along the river bank. The camera was either hand held or mounted on the gimble head attached to the boat (I can’t recall which) and was panned to follow the bird. Due to the high shutter speed, the background is panning is not readily apparent. The exposure settings were 1/1600s, ISO 400, f/8 at a focal length of 371 mm. In Lightroom the image was cropped and local luminosity adjustments were made to emphasize the details of the bird against the background before converting to monochrome. Sharpening was applied after the monochrome conversion.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
4 comments posted
Jerry, the Egret is beautiful and very sharp. I think it could be just tiny bit lighter, though to set it apart from background. I find the 3 background elements very distracting. I think this image would be perfect without those elements. Posted: 09/14/2023 15:10:00
A very engaging image. Moody with beautiful luminosity and the softness works nicely to convey the sense of movement and flight. The viewpoint at eye level places the viewer in the marshes and to me this aspect provides great impact. Shadow treatment in the wings reveals the feather detail and the highlights have been well contained on the other wing. Agree with the three background elements being a distraction but the overall beauty over rides that. Posted: 09/17/2023 05:13:03
The egret is nicely captured with good position in the frame and with great back light on the wings. I would try a small dodge on the birds face to lighten it so the eyes are brought out more. Posted: 09/22/2023 11:48:22
Sometimes with monos of birds in reeds or high grass, the vegetation just starts to look distracting. You have completely overcome that with the vegetation both sides of the bird soft. You explained it with your comment about the moving boat and pan with the bird. I think this is a great shot. I think, yes as John said some work on the bird to selectively change tones to stand out is worthwhile. I would consider cropping the bottom of the image some and also the right. Perhaps enough to remove the third hump. I think the focus on the bird improves. Posted: 09/22/2023 12:26:58