Green Heron+Repost

Gallery: AvianPosted February 24, 201170 views12 comments

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

This bird landed very close to me while I was standing very still beside pond near Holquin, Cuba. As I slowly raised my camera it rapidly realized that it wasn't alone and quickly flew off. I managed to obtain a few shots but with my 560 mm lens I could not fit the whole bird in the frame. So, here's a profile shot!

All comments very welcome.

1D Mark IV, EF400 mm f/5.6L +1.4xTC: ISO 1250, 1/1000s, f/8, 2/3 EV, 8.7 MP after cropping, NR, exposure adjustment, sharpening.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on February 25, 2011 at 6:45 AM

Congrats on getting close to this guy. The detail in your shot is outstanding. I might try to remove the out of focus branch under your signature. Otherwise wonderful capture.

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 25, 2011 at 8:44 AM

I like this Steve. Very nice getting what you could out of this op. The detail in the head and eye area are great to look at.

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 25, 2011 at 9:26 AM

Steve, I like the comp you chose and the nice detail in the bird. good dof too. I'd consider a slight bump in mid-tone contrast.

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on February 25, 2011 at 12:05 PM

Good use of the opportunity; some of our best shots come by happenstance. I'd brighten the image just a bit and bump the mid-tone contrast up to try and improve the vividness of this species. I like the highlight in the eye; it looks like I can almost see your reflection.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on February 25, 2011 at 1:34 PM

Steve,
I really like your comp and the brilliant eye. The detail is super.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on February 25, 2011 at 2:14 PM

Good patience to slowly react to get some pictures instead of quickly scaring the heron away. I like the overall composition and the detail looks great on the larger image but it does seem to need a slight contrast increase. Well done getting this portrait of a green heron. How often does something like that happen, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on February 25, 2011 at 5:27 PM

Well done Steve, the colors look nice and natural to me. If anything I might crop in a little closer on the bottom and right.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on February 25, 2011 at 7:33 PM

Really enjoyed the larger version of this one Steve. Exposure looks good to my eye and the detail is excellent. I do think I might experiment with Nate's comp suggestion.

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

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 25, 2011 at 8:56 PM

Steve,

Wonderful clarity of the eye, great reflection there too. I thik the soft blue in the background makes a wonderful contrast to the heron's colors. I might try Nate's suggestion on the crop too not only because it might feel more balanced but it would also reduce the oof areas there some. I might lighten this some. Glad the heron gave you a few shots before it flew away!

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

Comment posted by Steve Balke on February 25, 2011 at 10:14 PM

Thank you all for your very thoughtful comments and suggestions. There are so many ways of implementing them! Here is one try to give as many of you as possible an idea of how your suggestion would look: the image is cropped, has more contrast and is brighter; the branch in the lower lhs is removed too. I think that the image does have more impact this way.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Diller on February 27, 2011 at 5:44 AM

NIce capture....I like the re-post much better! Well done,,,,,,

Registered on October 2, 2009, 69 Posts, 434 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on February 27, 2011 at 12:02 PM

Hi steve

The repost is even better! The detail and colors are spectacular

Albert Darmo Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments