The Egret is an incredibly beautiful bird.
And graceful.
I have been following Moose Peterson’s web site (daily) for years. He spent time in Florida recently and has been posting with shots from the area. He is a master photographer. An individual that is always looking forward. Knows the craft and art of photography as good as anyone.
And he has an opinion.
My Dad always said “Opinions are like noses. Everyone has one”.
I have sat in Moose’s classes a few times and learned tons from him. Very direct in his teaching approach. He comes across as his way or the highway. But not really. He will give direct reasons why we should not crop. Why this or that process is not the best. In the end he is teaching the best knows how. His is teaching from professional experience. And he wants to make his students the very best they can be. The reality is photography is sort of an art form. A subject can be photographed almost an infinite number of ways. Some people crop. Some don’t. We all use post production tools in different ways. So I say listen to Moose. Learn from him but in the end enjoy your very own style, look or feeling in a photograph.
The following is a great example. I photographed this Egret in Florida. He flew across in front of me. While doing so he dragged his feet (claws?) and put his beak into the water while flying. Pretty cool shot. I stopped the action. The water droplets were flying. The wings in a strange contortion. I liked the shot. But it felt like it was missing something. Going back to Moose Peterson…he is a purest when it comes to wildlife photography. In a lot of ways so am I. But there are times when I just want to push the creativity in post. Probably not my most graceful day but this Egrets……..Oh Yea!
And yes I did get crazy in post. Used a Topaz filter to mimic an oil painting. Closest I will EVER get.
