Great Blue Heron

Gallery: AvianPosted February 21, 2016107 views7 comments

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Place: Gila River Tribal Lands, AZ
Date: February 18, 2016, 9:29 am
Equipment: Nikon D7200, Nikkor 300/4 AF-S, tripod
Exposure: aperture priority matrix meter, ISO 800, 1/640th @ f/7.1
Raw, PS CC 2015 on Mac, full frame

This appears to be a favorite spot of this heron. The first day I saw it here the light was on the harsh side, so even though I took a lot of photos I came back the following day when the light was softer from some cloud cover. I also brought a couple shorter lenses and a light tripod to help with composition.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. If possible, please view the large version before commenting.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Pete Bengeyfield on February 21, 2016 at 10:58 AM

The heron is great. Nice, intense stare. The business of the perch is a little distracting. But that's reality.

Registered on December 2, 2003, 1247 Posts, 3439 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on February 21, 2016 at 11:15 AM

Hey Richard,
I am loving the large version on this image, the feather detail, exposure and colors are simply marvelous. I am also enjoying the environment, it is diverse and complimentary to the subject. The overall composition is well balanced and tells a story.
Well done . . . devil

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on February 21, 2016 at 12:03 PM

Wonderful image, Richard. I like the pose and the overall setting, the busy perch does not bother me at all. And it's proven again than direct sunlight is so overrated enlightened

... Love it ! Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on February 21, 2016 at 1:12 PM

Very nice lighting and detail on this one Richard. You are quite close. This really helps with the detail. The lighting is quite even. I am not bothered by the perch because if you're a heron, this is what you do (sorry GEICO). You really have only three colors here, the green of the water, the browns of the vegetation, and the grace of the Heron and the twigs. This is another factor in adding to the simplicity of this image which makes it so nice.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 21, 2016 at 2:35 PM

I like the juxtaposition of the rather spiky looking dead brush with the water and the reeds, Richard. The pose of the heron is excellent as is the detail and exposure. I also like this image because it makes me wonder about the behavior-why is it perched up above the water like that? How can it effectively hunt from there? Now I have to go watch them some more to see how they'd do that.

devil

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

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on February 21, 2016 at 5:14 PM

Outstanding feather detail in the heron Richard. Really nice scene overall and I like the habitat, it gives the viewer a sense of place. The soft light really enhances the feel of the image. devil

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

Comment posted by Richard Teller on February 21, 2016 at 5:32 PM

Very nice color, detail and composition. It is interesting, it looks like it has to go through all of that tangled mess at it's feet to get to the water to fish.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments