Photo Tags : bird : Photo

There are so many things that are 'right' about this image that it's hard to know where to start. This wagtail is a great subject due to its graceful proportions and splash of yellow accenting its otherwise monochrome plumage. Photographing this bird exhibiting interesting behaviour in a dynamic and appealing pose is an achievement in itself. Capturing this moment with perfect lighting and perch against a clean, colour-complimentary backdrop is a further accomplishment. Covering up the bottom half of this image shows what a great portrait shot this could have been even without the reflection. The crowning glory, though, is to have captured all of this with such a perfect reflection. Even so, poor framing could still have detracted from this image, but that element is spot-on as well, with the bird-and-reflection combo having just the right size and position in the frame. As a final note, since this may not be appreciated by non bird photographers: for a variety of reasons, photographing small bird species such as this one is hugely more difficult than photographing larger birds. Make no mistake: this is expert bird photography!