Little Egret in the Shadows

Little Egret in the Shadows

Image of the Week

Little Egret

Many people only know them as a little egret, but they are actually snowy egrets. They can be on the timid side and are much smaller than their counterparts the great egret. Other than size, the easy way to identify this little egret is by their yellow feet and black beak. The great egret has black feet and an orange-ish beak. This little egret was hunting in the shadows, looking for a late afternoon meal.

This was taken in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area in Davis, CA.

Image Considerations

Taking this photo was a perfect example of the challenges of wildlife photography, especially late in the day. The difference in light one moment to the next, and one direction to another, can be monumental. Combined with what can feel like sudden light changes, your subject may not be inclined to stay and pose. I will get any initial shot I can, while making any quick settings adjustment I have time for, just so I can get a chance at a shot. Once I have an initial frame or two, I work on adjusting my camera settings, shooting angle, and composition. You never know how much time you will have to get the shot you want.

Image Lighting

I took this photo late in the day with the snowy egret in shadows. In some ways, this helped to highlight the feathers. With the bright white feathers being the focus and the little egret in an area of shadows, the area around the snowy egret was fairly dark.

Camera and Settings

I shot this with my Canon 1Ds Mk III and Canon 100-400mm L IS USM lens with Canon 1.4x extender. I hand held the shot while in my car. When visiting a wildlife area like this, I try to not get out of my car. I can use my car as a blind. Even with my camera lens out a window, birds and other animals are far less threatened by this than if I was outside the car.

When shooting such a white bird and trying to bring out the details in the feathers, overexposing helps.

  • 560mm
  • f/8
  • 1/1,000th
  • +0.3 exposure bias
  • ISO 800

Editing Inspiration

Given how dark the area around the snowy egret was, I felt it immediately lent itself to a black background. This little egret had its yellow feet mostly obscured, so there was very little color in the image to begin with. With this and the black background idea, I thought converting it to black and white would create an artistic feel.

One of the major challenges in this edit was finding the right balance of details to bring out in the feathers. I went through many cycles of making small adjustments. I also viewed the image on multiple devices to try and be sure it showed the way I wanted.