Green Heron

Gallery: AvianPosted January 24, 2016138 views10 comments

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Date: Januyary 15, 2016, 10 am
Equipment: Nikon D7200, Nikkor AF-S 300/4, hand held
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered, ISO 800, 1/1600^th, f/8
Raw, PS CC 2015 on Mac, 65% of full frame

I have a favorite spot at the Water Ranch that often hosts a Green Heron, and there’s enough foot traffic on the path that the heron currently using the location isn’t as nervous as they usually are. I was there to look for a vagrant eastern warbler so I was traveling light, with the 300/4 and no tripod. The background is sky reflected on the pond surface.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. I hope you will view the larger image for maximum impact.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on January 24, 2016 at 1:46 PM

I like the pose and the detail is great. I might crop to remove the lone branch in the left lower corner. I've seen so many of our wonderful shots from the Water Ranch, that it's on my list of places to visit someday.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on January 24, 2016 at 3:17 PM

Richard: very good pose, perch and composition. The only thing I'd suggest would be to clone out the branch in the lower left corner. Fine otherwise. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Butch Lama on January 24, 2016 at 3:18 PM

Love that pose in a beautiful light with great feather details.

Registered on July 23, 2010, 42 Posts, 316 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 24, 2016 at 5:13 PM

Richard, the large image is perfection, a good view of most of the bird in a classic head turn, in a relatively uncluttered background. I like that the bird seems relaxed.

The smaller image looks a little chunky on my monitor, although the larger image is sharpened to perfection IMO. devil

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 24, 2016 at 6:05 PM

Beautiful, Richard. A great pose with that lifted crest and the excellent look at the eye. I like the triangular shape of the reeds and the overall composition.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on January 24, 2016 at 6:55 PM

Wonderful comp and placement of the heron. An excellent illustration of how important it is to get close to your subject to achieve maximum detail.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on January 24, 2016 at 7:59 PM

Excellent work Richard. The heron's pose and details are amazing and I think the water makes a sweet bg. I also would remove the stick in the lower left corner. Very cool!

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 24, 2016 at 8:37 PM

A classic pose, very well captured. Your usual impeccable techs. Very nice.

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

Comment posted by David Bogener on January 25, 2016 at 11:46 AM

Nice backside view of one of my favorite photo subjects. I like the composition, perch, head turn and the semi-erect creast. Well done.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on January 28, 2016 at 4:11 PM

Hello Richard... Really like these interesting guys.... They sometimes get into different positions while retaining in their tree perch.

Excellent Detail in Largers Version!

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments