Color Contrast can be seen in every photograph and it is an important element to composition. Some images are more dramatic in this regard then others but even a little bit can be powerful. When working with white birds, like this Snowy Egret, every image shows a dramatic difference because there aren’t that many natural white backgrounds to be found where these birds live. Reflections in the water can make for some very interesting backgrounds.
This individual was fishing at Corkscrew Swamp. Corkscrew is an Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary which houses one of the largest areas of Cyprus trees in Florida. It can be a hot bed for birds but since all birds have wings there’s never any guarantee. This Snowy Egret was quite cooperative as it posed for a long time on this one stump. Now as soon as it moved another took its place so it was kind of a never ending cycle on that perch. Since most of the water at Corkscrew is land locked ponds the birds will instinctively flock to them. With the dense forest there is a strong mixture of shadows and light on the water so it never really looks blue but more black. Thus the light in the background is coming from the reflection on the water. If you’re going to be working with birds you need to pay attention to these backgrounds as each one tells a different story.
Images Captured with Nikon D5, 600 f/4, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film