Darling Egret

Backlighting can be very tricky, especially with a moving subject. So I was very happy to get this image of an egret at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. It was a great deal of fun photographing egrets feeding along the top of the water, bouncing and gliding near the surface as they plucked small aquatic animals along the way. This egret had just finished a "feeding run", and was exiting the area between me and the sun. At first I wished I had gotten this egret further back in the frame, but I actually like the tension of him just about to exit the frame. Normally I would have wanted some light on the bird's face, but considering the lighting I actually think this works well. So, all things considered, I'd call it a success.