Great Egret

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
1

Low Key Egret.jpg
Low Key Egret.jpg2000×1852 365 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

When I saw this Great Egret I liked the interplay of whites and shadows. So I tried a low key shot.

Specific Feedback

All suggestions welcome, especially about exposure.

Technical Details

OM1 + 100-400mm+TC14 (@321mm) 1/640 f13 ISO 1600 -1.7 EV

Adjusted tones in LR and converted to B and W. Denoise, then in PS adjusted Brightness and Contrast in Nik Silver Efex Pro.

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2

Very nice egret portrait, with the play of dark and light zones… Low key for such a super-white bird can be complicated - but it works in this picture. The only point is that I would lighten a bit the head of the egret, right now it is vanishing in the background (less so in the higher resolution version, though). Apart from this, a very elegant image!

Edit: and the dark reflection reminds me of the doppelganger of the egret…

3

A intriguing image, Mike. Definitely different as we rarely see a low-key white subject. I know it would probably fall outside normal bird photography, but take a look at this one rotated 180 degrees. For some reason I like it much better that way.