Them Darn Reeds!

You wanna photograph a bittern like this tiny Least Bittern, you gotta deal with them darn reeds. Many wading birds and waterfowl use the security of the reeds to avoid predators, and at times, photographers. Is there any cure for all those distracting lines? If they were all green, the mind’s eye tends to discount them and they are not a distraction. But just one brown / dead one and you’re toast! I know some who take the time in post to deal with them brown / dead ones but that’s not my style. So then, how to deal with them? The one way I know of is light. The brown / dead ones become bright highlights in our photograph and the mind’s eye goes to light & bright first. To remove that highlight then you need a soft light. Overcast and/or a saturated light is what you need to have any chance. The Least Bittern is worth the challenge, you just gotta remember the light and highlights.