May 11th Photo of the Day

"Body Surfing" by Jose52
© Jose52 with permission to About.com, Inc.


Our May 11th winner in our continuing Photo of the Day contest has been chosen! This image was chosen from the birds thread in the forum. Congratulations Jose!

This image is a great action shot of an unusual sort. Herons do not often allow photographers to get very close to them. They also tend to prefer calmer water for their fishing. The unusualness of the image subject helps to capture attention immediately. The bird's head is positioned near a vertical line using the rule of thirds while still giving room for the action to occur on either side of the bird so that we get a full appreciation of the situation. The motion is captured at a moment of impact and leaves the viewer feeling that the action will continue any moment.

Help us celebrate National Photography Month!!! Every day in May there will be a new "photo of the day" posted here. Images chosen are also displayed in the "photo of the day" image gallery. All posted photos are eligible the entire month so enter your best shots now!

• Any photo posted in the About Photography Forum during May is eligible for Photo of the Day the entire month. This means that a photo posted on May 1st will be considered every day until May 31st.
• Please limit photos to 640x480 pixels or smaller (to keep the forum dial-up friendly).
• Photos must not violate the Forum Guidelines or About.com User Agreement.
• Model releases must be submitted via email to photography.guide@about.com when a person can be recognized in an image in order to be considered for Photo of the Day.
• Photos may have been taken at any time. They do not have to be taken during May (but we'd love to see your May shots).
• Have FUN!!!!