Alone

[Chris Calohan]

Foggy mornings always provide interesting backdrops.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

"How far out can I wade before I need to find out if I really can swim?"   

[John R]

It's surreal and minimalist. Not often one sees a silver-grey water scene with a glow. Must be the water reflecting the fog and light trying to break through.

JR

[brianrybolt]

I'de like it more without the land.  Great light.

[armand]

I'de like it more without the land.  Great light.

+1
I suspect it's already cropped though

[Jeremy Roussak]

I'de like it more without the land.  Great light.

Wholly without would lose context, which would be a shame. A bit less land might work, though. Not that it's at all bad as it stands.

Jeremy

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I don't want anything cropped. It's perfect just the way it is.

[RSL]

+200

And you need the land.

It's a fine shot, Chris.

[BobDavid]

I tend to lean towards "less is more." I'm in favor of losing the land. That way the egret is truly alone: spatially, symbolically, and existentially.

[John R]

The space around the bird is very important, as is the relative size of all the elements. Not sure it would work with bird alone, as he would then become very small in the picture space. But if the bird were larger, I would agree with Bob. However, one could crop out the grassy area of the sand bar leaving behind light sand, adjust the opposite space to retain proportion, and thus preserve the existing relationships and be just a touch more minimalist. (Edit) But then you would lose the greater proportion of the sand bar. Maybe leave it alone!

JR

[Tony Jay]

I think that if the sandbar is cropped out then this image loses balance and context.
The bird, by itself, is not enough to carry this image.
Some of the suggestions might work if the bird had a lot more detail.

As it stands it works!

Tony Jay

[brandtb]

Beautiful image

[RSL]

The croppers are always at it.

[Chris Calohan]

As with any image I or likely anyone else posts, most every aspect of the image is examined for the vision of the maker. I tried just about every suggested crop: land spit, no land, solo Egret, enlarging Egret, etc., but in the end what I saw in the viewfinder and what made me make the exposure was exactly what you see on the screen. While I appreciate the suggestions, in the end as suggested by several including Tony Jay and Russ, no crop works best for my vision. Cheers.

[luxborealis]

I tend to lean towards "less is more." I'm in favor of losing the land. That way the egret is truly alone: spatially, symbolically, and existentially.

+1 - But not as a crop. Hopefully Chris shot a second frame turned slightly to the right to exclude the land. Now that would make a fine image with lots of negative space to do as BobDavid says.

[Patricia Sheley]

"Could I really be the only one patiently salivating over this luscious morsel?"

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

That is truly tasty, Patricia!