Blue Heron Sunset +Repost

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 10, 2013711 views14 comments

Old Silver Beach, Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

A Great Blue Heron perched on the rocks at sunset. He just flew into the scene to my surprise and posed for over a half hour..... and of course I did not have my 70-200mm with me but I guess the small silhouette works well at least for me. It is highly unusual for me to capture any kind of wildlife in the landscape.

Canon 5DM2
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L at 70mm
ISO100 0.6sec f/22
1.5 Stop HE ND Gradient

Thanks for having a look.

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on September 10, 2013 at 9:44 AM

Cool capture Eva! I could use a little more brightness in the heron to make him/her stand out a little more against the darker water. Colors and comp are great

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 10, 2013 at 3:10 PM

I like the photo, no doubt of it. What has me scratching my head is why the heron is facing up the rocks instead of into the water??

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on September 10, 2013 at 3:20 PM

Eva, A wonderful shot. Nice of him to pose for you right in front of that beautiful sunset.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on September 10, 2013 at 3:36 PM

Thanks Navin, Phil and Nick. Phil - There was some sea gull action to the left. I do have other views with the bird facing right with different water action.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Karsten Wrobel on September 10, 2013 at 3:40 PM

the second one works much better for me, Eva. both for the comp and for the bird standing out more against the water... really like it!

Registered on November 1, 2008, 117 Posts, 851 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on September 10, 2013 at 4:06 PM

2nd one preferred... I like the comp, and think it's worth sacrificing a little color

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on September 10, 2013 at 7:31 PM

Yep, the second one for me, as well. It simply seems more dynamic than the original. I laso like the water in the second better than the first one.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on September 10, 2013 at 7:54 PM

What a great shot, Eva. Nice of that heron to stick around for so long. I do like your second post better, as the diagonal of the shoreline makes for a nice lead-in to the heron and sky.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on September 10, 2013 at 7:58 PM

This would be sweet even without the bird. Love the colorful yet muted sky.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on September 10, 2013 at 8:13 PM

I like the second post better, but I think for the silhouette to work, you needed to be lower so the silhouette was against the sky right on the horizon.

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on September 11, 2013 at 8:46 AM

I like your repost better Eva. While the sky in the original was very nice, cropping down to the color portion makes sense and brings the bird into prominence. You've rendered the rocks and growth well - it is often so dark that it doesn't photograph well, but it looks good.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on September 11, 2013 at 9:57 AM

I really like the second version Eva just for the comp. Very nice colors in this and nice he stood around for so long.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on September 12, 2013 at 2:19 AM

Eva,

I'm gonna go against the grain and say that I prefer the original post. Yes, would have been great to have the bird looking the other direction, but the silhouetted bird still works and I really enjoy the simplicity of the comp. And the balance between sea and sky works nicely.

In the second one, the position of the heron is great, but the mossy rock at the bottom to me is a slight distraction and the sky, while nice isn't as great. To each our own I guess, I prefer the first.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on September 12, 2013 at 4:19 PM

Really like the beautiful colors in this coastal scene, Eva. Not sure about the placement of the Heron since the bird is looking to the left, perhaps a crop off the right would place the Heron in a better position.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments