Posted by Mark Fellowes on February 28, 2007 at 1:13 PM
Hi everyone
Finally decided that it was time to stop lurking and join in...
Heron in evening light. Obviously not taken this week!
D80
Sigma 100-300 IF EX HSM @ 300mm
F4
1/400
ISO400
Handheld
Comments welcome.
Cheers
Mark
Posted by Rene de Heer on February 28, 2007 at 1:36 PM
Welcome! Excellent sharpness but for me the compositon doesnt quite work.I would have liked more space on the left.
Posted by Richard Tynan on February 28, 2007 at 2:58 PM
A bit more space around might be nice, but I still like it as it is.
It certainly suits a panoramic crop well and I like the vibrant colours.
Nice one!
Posted by Paul Hillion on February 28, 2007 at 3:01 PM
Welcome from me also. A lovely portrait of one of my favourite birds, spot on focus where it matters, but like Rene has mentioned above the composition doesn't quite work for me and it feels a bit awkward. Was this taken in the wild? I only ask because here in Guernsey you'd have no chance whatsoever of getting to within a 300mm range of a Heron!
Best wishes.
Posted by Mark Fellowes on February 28, 2007 at 3:25 PM
Hi
Thanks for the comments - is this better (now full width)?
Forgot to give workflow: Slight crop top & bottom for comp., curves, +5% saturation, USM in CS2.
Wild, but oblivious to people. I find with herons that it really depends on where you are; my local herons will flee but where there's food for other species and they're left alone, they quickly learn that shyness = less food...
I've only really seriously thought about my photography in the past year or so, first in macro, and more recently starting to think about birds. The latter is definitely more challenging and time consuming (and expensive).
I've learned a lot from just seeing what works here, and I'm impressed to find a forum where people are genuinely helpful. The one thing that's become clear to me since getting a bit more serious about this is that photography makes you a much better natural historian - simply because it's all about the detail and attention focused on the common; how many birders or entomologists really see their quarry? Now I'm just getting philosophical..
An Entomologist posting birds as their first post?
Welcome from another scientist..
PS there is a famous quote
The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. Dorothea Lange
T
Posted by Mark Fellowes on February 28, 2007 at 6:02 PM
Hi Tom
Thanks for the welcome; birds came first for me, but I'm sure that one or two bugs will slip in...
Must remember that quote!
Mark
Posted by Rob Ashton on February 28, 2007 at 7:18 PM
I personally like your composition here Mark. We don't see too many close ups of Heron portraits so it maks a nice change. I also had a good look around your website.....very interesting and well done.
A nice heron portrait for a first post.... if I was to be hyper-critical I would like more DoF here particularly for the dominant beak... but that eye is super and the light looks good.
Intrigued by your explanation of how you got so near to what I always believed to be an extremely wary bird. Yes a bit more DOF would have helped but a striking shot as is.
Some nice stuff on your web site.
This was photographed at 'Birdworld' in Hampshire - they have captive penguins which are regularly fed, and the herons fly in (there's a local heronry) to grab what they can, and you can get very close - here's an image on Flickr (not mine) to show you what I mean. http://www21.flickr.com/photos/paulabirds/129572768/in/set-72057594115634343/.
There are always lots of herons there; very easy to photograph (I guess akin to going to Slimbridge for the winter ducks and swans that take advantage of the food for the captive birds). Where I work the herons will often allow you to get close enough for a frame-filling shot with a 300; again, they're just used to people. I wish that I could claim that it was my excellent fieldskills, but afraid not...
It's amazing how some birds can be frustratingly difficult to photograph in one location,but much easier in others.
I definately think extreme close-ups was the order of the day here to make the most of the situation.
Lots of impact and the pano crop was a good idea and works well IMHO.
Discussion
12 repliesFinally decided that it was time to stop lurking and join in...
Heron in evening light. Obviously not taken this week!
D80
Sigma 100-300 IF EX HSM @ 300mm
F4
1/400
ISO400
Handheld
Comments welcome.
Cheers
Mark
It certainly suits a panoramic crop well and I like the vibrant colours.
Nice one!
Best wishes.
Thanks for the comments - is this better (now full width)?
Forgot to give workflow: Slight crop top & bottom for comp., curves, +5% saturation, USM in CS2.
Wild, but oblivious to people. I find with herons that it really depends on where you are; my local herons will flee but where there's food for other species and they're left alone, they quickly learn that shyness = less food...
I've only really seriously thought about my photography in the past year or so, first in macro, and more recently starting to think about birds. The latter is definitely more challenging and time consuming (and expensive).
I've learned a lot from just seeing what works here, and I'm impressed to find a forum where people are genuinely helpful. The one thing that's become clear to me since getting a bit more serious about this is that photography makes you a much better natural historian - simply because it's all about the detail and attention focused on the common; how many birders or entomologists really see their quarry? Now I'm just getting philosophical..
Cheers
Mark
Welcome from another scientist..
PS there is a famous quote
T
Thanks for the welcome; birds came first for me, but I'm sure that one or two bugs will slip in...
Must remember that quote!
Mark
Rob
A nice heron portrait for a first post.... if I was to be hyper-critical I would like more DoF here particularly for the dominant beak... but that eye is super and the light looks good.
Some nice stuff on your web site.
This was photographed at 'Birdworld' in Hampshire - they have captive penguins which are regularly fed, and the herons fly in (there's a local heronry) to grab what they can, and you can get very close - here's an image on Flickr (not mine) to show you what I mean.
http://www21.flickr.com/photos/paulabirds/129572768/in/set-72057594115634343/.
There are always lots of herons there; very easy to photograph (I guess akin to going to Slimbridge for the winter ducks and swans that take advantage of the food for the captive birds). Where I work the herons will often allow you to get close enough for a frame-filling shot with a 300; again, they're just used to people. I wish that I could claim that it was my excellent fieldskills, but afraid not...
Mark
I quite like it and I think the crop is OK. Love the eye and the bill going OOF doesn't bother me too much!
David
I definately think extreme close-ups was the order of the day here to make the most of the situation.
Lots of impact and the pano crop was a good idea and works well IMHO.