A coot in black and white

One of the things I love most about photography is that there are no rules. There are guidelines of course, the rule of thirds springs to mind, but the reality is, you can do anything you like to create the image, and if the image pleases you, then it was successful!

This photo of the coot was taken in full colour – I shoot in RAW so that all the data is captured and I make it black and white in post processing if black and white is what I am looking for. The still water made for a perfectly uniform grey, and allowed for a fairly good reflection. I composed using the rule of thirds because it is a fairly guaranteed method, especially in an image as minimalist is this, and I think it really does demonstrate the power of the rule. With just two components, its a very harmonious image. I know that you can’t see the eye because it’s underexposed, but that doesn’t matter – there are no rules – the image is pleasing, and too much detail on the bird would distract from the minimal nature I was going for.

What do you think?