This cygnet was on my local river (Great Ouse). A gap in the bankside vegetation allowed the sun through on to its head which was covered in water droplets after it had been dipping for food.
Great close-up, those water droplets sparkle like diamonds ! A beautiful elegant creature shown to advantage by your wonderful shot. And this really needs to be seen full screen to truly enjoy it.
Lauren
Before I opened the image fullsize, I thought I saw the head of the of the animal plus a mound of snow behind it. This is a truly wonderful image. Thank you for sharing.
Great capture. Those water drops on his head drive the entire composition. I think you were meant to capture this scene as the animal pulled in to the one place where it could be that close to you. The clarity, detail and sharpness that you deliveverd in this photo says, "mission accomplished".
Pat
Does National Geographic know about you? This is an incredible shot, one of those photos you can wait all year to show up for you to capture. The detail in the wax-repelled water drops and tiny head crest feathers, the subtle branch shadows across the face and the waves, and the delicate back feather -- you've got the full range of elements covered beautifully here. The only thing I'm not cranked about, and I'm sure you've heard it or will hear it, is the distraction of those dead leaves. I pulled a copy into my Photoshop CS4 and removed them. It really makes a difference. Again, great job!