Great Blue Heron

Gallery: AvianPosted February 25, 2011148 views11 comments

Going through my shots of GBHs nesting this shot got my attention. I like the pose and the exposure and focus look good. I cropped it to vertical by taking about 25% off the left and 20% off the right. This decenters the bird and gives room for him to look into. I was thinking of cloning out the smaller snag but I do not have the skill level yet and I kind of like it. Crop shows 55% of original.

Comments are appreciated.

02/12/11 8:00 a.m.
Canon 7D
300 2.8L w/ 1.4x
420mm
f/5.0
1/1600
ISO 125
Metering = Spot
Tripod

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 25, 2011 at 7:35 PM

Hi Harry,

I like the pose of the heron, the fluffy, distant clouds in the sky behind the bird, the flow of the neck feathers and the exposure. The larger version shows very nice details and sharpness. The exposure and natural colors are very nice. I especially like how this shows the blue lores of breeding plumage and how even the bill changes colors at that time. The angle may be a little steep but I think that works well with the image. The smaller snag you mentioned doesn't bother me. A very nice image as posted.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on February 25, 2011 at 8:11 PM

Nice pose, good natural color, good composition. I like the hint of clouds in the sky and the head turn that shows off the neck feathers so well.

I'd leave the second branch in the image and I'd try a little more sharpening on the heron.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on February 25, 2011 at 9:30 PM

I quite enjoy this image Harry. The heron stands out so well against that blue sky, and I also like the subtle clouds. Excellent head turn. If it were mine I'd leave the "smaller snag".

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 25, 2011 at 10:13 PM

Harry, this is a good looking shot. I like the pose and the windblown plumes. I think the steep angle works well with the pose, and I like the comp you chose. I agree with trying just a little more sharpening on the larger version, possibly just on the head.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 26, 2011 at 8:53 AM

I like the comp Harry. Nice wind blowing and I like the affect of the fringe feathers going one way and the bird looking the other. Nice balance. The are two things I see that might improve this shot. First the saturation looks a bit high. Second there is distinct color banding in both small and large images that is very noticeable where the clouds fade into the blue sky areas. Both easily remedied. Nice shot.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Larry Fischer on February 26, 2011 at 12:19 PM

The camera/lens combo worked well.
Great detail in the feathers, etc.
There must have been a slight breeze, too. I like the tilted breast feathers.
I thing I would prefer the "snap" be removed but it really is not that detracting.
Great work.
the fisch

Registered on July 28, 2008, 155 Posts, 874 Comments

Comment posted by Luca Mussato on February 26, 2011 at 5:32 PM

Harry, it looks good to me as is, that snag doesn't bother me too much but i agree that if it wasn't present the whole image could benefit. A little bit of sharpening to the heron could also be a good add.

Registered on November 14, 2006, 118 Posts, 855 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on February 26, 2011 at 7:26 PM

I really like the way the sky plays off the heron in your shot. The detail is excellent!