Behind the Shot: Uncommonly Still

Uncommon describes this bird. It resides in only a few places worldwide. Reddish egrets inhabit coastal areas of Central America, The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Mexico. The species includes two color morphs: dark and white. Plume hunters in the 1800s nearly decimated the populations. Today, the white morph occurs less frequently, than the dark.

Feeding behavior includes leaping, jumping, twirling, and stabbing. To find this white morph, standing completely still seems uncommon.

Behind the Shot:

I spend a large part of my time in the field watching and waiting. Observing the environment and an animal’s behavior helps me anticipate its movement and allows me to plan for the next few shots.

I’ll consider these items as I plan:

• Light: color, source, direction
• Distracting background elements

In this case, I captured the beautiful backlight as the bird paused its search for food. The image includes just enough of the scene to set the context. You know exactly where the bird is standing– in a shallow, wetlands area. Adding a sepia tone helps accentuate the calm and stillness I felt the morning I made this photo.