This is one of those photos that you might pass up if it were almost any other bird. An Egret, you take the shot.
When I look at photographs of white birds like these the first thing I look for is the clarity and definition of the white feathers. That’s the hard part.

Another important item with Great Egrets is whether you can see the small green color around the eye.
Get clear feathers (or as many as possible), the green eye lines, and you have a good photo.
A great photo ? You only know one when you see it.