Great Egret

Great Egret – Merida, Yucatan, MX

(Click on image to enlarge)

Canon EOS 40D camera with Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di VC USD AF telephoto lens

(1/500s @ f/5.6, ISO 1600, FL=180mm/FOV with 1.6x = 288mm, handheld)

Photographers’s note:  Image captured in CameraRAW with my old backup shooter, the venerable Canon EOS 40D camera, and the stellar Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di VC USD AF zoom telephoto lens.  Shot at a Focal Length (FL) of 180mm, but with the 40D’s 1.6x crop sensor the actual Field of View (FOV) was 288mm.  RAW conversion and post edits completed in Photoshop Elements 11 (PSE11).  The Great Egret is a very large and ‘very white’ bird, so special attention was paid to maintaining feather detail in the highlights, while also maintaining detail in the shadows.  Shooting at ISO 1600 resulted in a somewhat ‘grainy’ look when enlarged, so I capitalized on the look by adding a gauzy (misty) white vignette. The camera and lens have since been passed on to my son, and is once again  is enjoying regular use as a primary shooter.  It is a great shooting combination (camera + lens); surpassed only by my Canon EOS 5D Mk2 camera and Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM super telephoto lens combination.