White Egret

Let me know what you think! Please share any suggestions for better

cropping of this image - thanks!

Great shot, I think the crop is good but the out of focus plant in the foreground is a bit distracting and takes away from a great picture.

The cropping is good as the photo shows some of the bird's body and a leg. Without those body parts it would look like a giant neck had grabbed the insect.

Thank you for your feedback! I wanted to emphasize the little lizard that the bird is holding but it's hard without (like you said) ending up with an akward "floating head" scenario.

 

I can suggest a different cropping which doesn't necessarily means it is going to be a better one; cropping is very much a matter of personal taste as well as a means to focus the message of an image. I thank Greg Thomason for mentioning a view I actually hadn't thought about: showing the leg to avoid the "floating bird" appearance. It is actually still floating since the leg has no direct visible connection to "Mother Earth"but that aside; Barbara mentions that she wants to emphasize the lizard the egret is holding, which would suggest a much tighter crop around the bird's neck. Images are usually scanned left to right, so the first thing I see is the rather featureless back of the bird and only secondly I see that it holds something in its beak. So rather than suggesting a different crop, how about changing left and right in the image: focus is directly drawn to the bird's beak and what's in it and the "floating neck" is avoided at the same time. Just a thought. Regards, Dieter

Jonathon, Greg and Dieter - thanks for your suggestions!

Great timing for this shot. Nice sharp pic.I like the little bit of blur from the lizards tail.

great shot !