Bio of a Photo: Darling Egret
Earlier this month I captured what I consider to easily be the best bird photograph I’ve ever taken. I was co-leading a field photography workshop in southwest Florida with Canon Explorer of Light photographer Arthur Morris, visiting some of the best places to view and photograph birds around Fort Myers, Florida. One morning the group headed to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, and I came away with a photo of an egret backlit by early morning light that I am very, very happy with.
“Darling Egret” by Tim Grey. Canon EOS 5D MkII, 500mm lens, 1/1600th of a second at f/5.6, 250 ISOOf course, as with most photos, there’s more to the story than just being in the right place at the right time with the right equipment and the right frame of mind. In fact, I captured almost 400 photos from the same spot, without moving the tripod, in order to come away with this photo. And in fact, this isn’t really the photo I was after.We had arrived at Ding Darling before sunrise, and in fact had to wait in the parking lot for the gate to open. After parking at our selected location and getting setup, we spread out and paced along the shore, trying to decide what the best opportunities would be that morning. Before too long, some of the group (including me) gathered near a “corner” of the pool, with a group of birds (mostly egrets, but also some ibis and a couple of brown pelicans) gathered in the shade of the red mangrove trees on shore.Soon there was a palpable tension among the birds, and they started getting quite active. One by one, they started flitting across the surface of the water, striking for fish along the way. A feeding frenzy had begun.
I’m not sure what attracted me more to the photographic possibilities here: the challenge or the prize. Frankly, I’m not sure I had a particular “prize photo” in mind. Mostly I was fascinated by the behavior of the birds, and focusing all of my energy on actually capturing an image of high technical quality. This was a particular challenge because the birds were moving quite quickly, transitioning from areas of dark to bright and with different sun angles, I was trying to pan to keep the birds in the frame with a 500mm lens, and I was trying to make sure I was acquiring focus on the moving birds.Needless to say, I came away with a lot of throw-aways.Every now and then I would get even more excited, as a pair of egrets would fly almost in formation as they both tried to feed at the same time.
At times it seemed the birds were performing ballet on the surface of the water. It was an incredible sight to see, and I made an effort to try to appreciate and enjoy the moment even while I was incredibly focused on capturing some good images. Getting the bird in the right position in the frame was a particular challenge, as they moved fast and my reactions weren’t always as quick as I would have liked. But the dance before me was quite incredible.
One of the key considerations in successful bird photography (and a variety of other types of photography for that matter) is to observe the behavior of your subject. Of course, in this case the behavior seemed almost entirely chaotic, as the birds moved all about in an effort to catch the fish that had obviously congregated (to their peril) in this small area of the water.But I also noticed that after their feeding runs, the egrets would more often than not exit the area heading to my left, flying right in front of me. The sun was now peeking over the horizon and casting some interesting light, so I tried to remind myself to maintain my focus on a given bird until it exited the area, rather than panning to find another bird ready to feed as soon as the bird I was photographing had caught a fish or given up.
As the light grew warmer and I started focusing more of my attention on the birds as they exited the area of the feeding frenzy, I captured a pair of images and instantly (before the images had been written to my CompactFlash card) knew I had something. I immediately hit “play” to review the images on the LCD, and was happy with what I saw.In a rare moment, when I finally got back to the hotel later that day and downloaded my images, I was even happier with what I saw on my computer than I had been with the image that appeared on the camera’s LCD display. A few minor tweaks, and I had an image I was very proud of.
February 28th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Tim,
You have an outstanding image there. I love the light on the bird and the bird’s reflection in the water. You said that you would have liked a better exposure on the bird’s face, but I think that would have taken away from the image. Very nice and I look forward to the day I can do an IPT with you and Artie Morris.
February 28th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Incredible image! Thanks for sharing the story that goes along with it.
March 1st, 2010 at 3:10 am
Tim - What an amazing egret image! I went to Ding Darling a few years ago and got some wonderful bird images, but none like this one. I certainly would love to go again. Did you get a chance to visit the Venice Rookery, which is perhaps about 50 miles to the north? Thanks for posting this beautiful image and the accompanying story.
March 1st, 2010 at 5:19 am
All of the images of these birds are terrific but I agree that the one of the Egret that is the main subject of this blog is just amazing!
March 1st, 2010 at 6:02 am
Tim, What a beautiful photograph. I thought that all of the pictures were exceptional. It is a wonderful experience to be able to see something like that let alone photograph it.
Did you use any Exposure Compensation?
Pete
March 1st, 2010 at 6:15 am
Tim;
Great shot , love the trailing water from the birds feet adding action to the picture and the early morning light is beautiful. Wonderful picture.Joe Moran Ft Myers Fl.
March 1st, 2010 at 6:19 am
Awsome!!! Great shots …
March 1st, 2010 at 7:20 am
Hi Tim,
Living in Ft Myers, as you found, the area is just fantastic for bird photography, especially Ding Darling on Sanibel.
I must say, as a retired professional portrait photographer, you have captured
what I would say is the epitome of bird photography. You are a real ‘Pro’!!
Not having a 400/500 lens precludes me from shooting birds.
However, may I ask if you will be returning to Ft Myers area and perhaps
doing a more general hands on seminar, that would be great?
My thoughts to great bird shots is, “TLL”, (tripod,long lens)!!
DDQ!
George Vokovich
March 1st, 2010 at 8:10 am
Well done Tim-very dramatic light. Much more interesting than the “portrait” type of image. Enjoyed the blog also.
March 1st, 2010 at 8:35 am
From a composition point of view, it would be better to have more space in front of the bird than behind it. It would be nice to see a little detail in the bird.
I agree it is a very nice photo.
Bill
March 1st, 2010 at 8:48 am
As David Brown said at the top, I like the fact that you DIDN’T catch the face detail of the egret. I think there’s something to be said about inferring detail in photos sometimes - almost like an impressionist’s interpretation of a scene. Well done!
March 1st, 2010 at 10:33 am
Thanks all for the kind words about this image. I actually had a similar image with the egret set further back in the frame (though the wing position wasn’t as good), so I debated in my mind about the position of the bird. I feel it is important to have the bird relatively tight in the frame overall, and agree that in most cases with a moving subject you need space in front of the subject. However, in this case I feel that the position is best as-is for two reasons. One, it allows the ripples in the water caused by the birds feet to remain in the frame. And two, I feel it creates a nice tension for the image.
Naturally there are many different viewpoints on an image (as there should be!), and I appreciate all the kind words and feedback.
March 1st, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Tim:
It was a thrill to see your superb photo! I have photogaphed at Ding Darling many times, and have witnessed the “feeding frenzy” behavior as the light comes up and enables the birds to see down into the water. Like you, I’ve found it takes a lot of shooting to come away with a winning photo, but it’s worth every minute!
Don Segraves
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:59 am
Tim.. Great shot. I have also gone with Artie three times and come away with at least 1-2 images I hang in my office. There is something cool about nailing a bird in motion, with the right exposure composure and lighting. Artie really is a fanatic isn’t he? I went with him when his wife was alive and we all had hot chocolate in his RV in Cape May, NJ. He was just starting his photo tours. The weather stunk, but he is an excellent teacher and tells you everything he knows. I always ask him about exposure because that’s a tough topic. Does he still depend on the rules he published in his e-book on digital photography?
Hang your picture with pride. It’s a great one. Bob
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Your article in this months Digital Photo Pro on Photoshop history is excellent; as are your publications and daily newsletter. Thanks for all that. Seeing this image completes the resume for you as both a first rate photog and a journalist of excellence, eloquence and integrity. Ths photograph is one to be so proud of and not easy to capture as you have described. I am a big fan and loyal reader.
Donald Hamburg
March 5th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Tim-I didn’t expect to see such a dramatic image. As Andreas Feininger wrote in one of the many books he authored, an image should be arresting. I.e. it should cause the viewer to stop, and effect an emotion of one kind or another in that person. Your image certainly does that. What kind of emotion does it elicit for me ?
AWESOME !!
March 5th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
As a post script to my previous commednt I meant to ask about the abrupt line in the left wing of tghe egret. -HG
March 5th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Donald, you flatter me. Thank you very much for the kind words and ongoing support. I’ll try to keep making you proud!
March 5th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Harvey - What line are you referring to? Do you mean the transition from the bright highlight “stripes” near the left wingtip into the darker portion of that left wing? If so, the dark portion was caused by the shadow of the bird itself, since the sun was at a very low angle. The light streaks at the tip are reflected light off the surface of the water, with the shape of the streaks caused by the ripples and waves on the surface of the water.
March 12th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
What a spectacular image! There are so many interesting elements, the reflection, the light, the bird’s wings, the pose and the water droplets. Last year was my first visit and I came away with nothing but luckily, I get another chance in a few weeks. I cannot possibly even come close to getting great images such as this because I am challenged technically but I am inspired by your image.
March 13th, 2010 at 7:50 am
Sue - Thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed the image, and I’m sure you’ll be able to create some incredible results with your next opportunity. Good luck!
March 15th, 2010 at 11:29 am
well you did right thing asking 1st but i cannot get you the information u requested because it’s now allowed to be posted in here!
March 25th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
[…] immediately opened one of my new favorite photos, and went through my standard "output workflow" to prepare it for printing. I sent it to […]
March 25th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Hi Tim,
This is absoslutely outstanding, wish I had captured this image myselt.
Colors are a gorgeous compliment to the golden sunlight against this graceful bird.
Well done,
Lori Stitt
April 23rd, 2010 at 5:43 pm
I enjoyed your presentation at the fotofest..your photography speaks for itself.
Your speaking skills are over the top. You ARE a motivational speaker. Even better than Chris Farley! Thanks for making my day!