Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Wings of Courage

On a spring morning in Central Florida, I seized the remarkable instant when a Great Egret took off on its flight with determination and elegance from the branches of an ancient oak tree with cascading Spanish moss. Initially, I captured this image in bright sunlight against a backdrop of a blue sky. However, I intentionally darkened the atmosphere in the subsequent post-processing phase, setting the stage for a more dramatic and artistic interpretation.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Winter Park, Florida, United States of America
Camera: NIKON D850
Copyright: © Fenqiang Liu