Heron and its reflection

Dead-calm water at the edge of the marsh gave a near-flawless mirror image, dark and still enough that the heron seems to be standing on glass. A January heron on Chincoteague is often a year-round resident rather than a summer visitor — the mid-Atlantic coast rarely freezes solid enough to push them further south.

Getting the shot

The dark water and dried grass did the heavy lifting on contrast — no need for anything but a correctly exposed bird against that background. I framed to include as much of the reflection as the top half, treating the two halves as a near-symmetrical composition.