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Grey Heron

Discussion

10 replies
Posted by Paul Hillion on March 21, 2007 at 4:23 PM
Grey Heron
Took this whilst on a day trip in London, this was taken in Regents Park. Quite a cloudy afternoon but managed to get a couple of shots as the sun broke through for a minute or so.

Hand held (using knee as support :smile:), 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS and EOS 30D. ISO 400, 1/3200 at f/5.6, -1EC. RAW, levels adjust, USM, full frame.

Thanks.
Posted by John Chapman on March 21, 2007 at 4:33 PM
Hi Paul
nice capture good perch lovely lighting just a pity it is a busy BG. :toast:
John
Aberdeen
Posted by Jim Greenfield on March 22, 2007 at 7:09 AM
Very good environmental shot. The damaged tree branches in the lower right quarter are a little distracting to me - is it possible to tone them down a bit?
Posted by Jeroen Stel on March 22, 2007 at 7:29 AM
Wonderfull setting for this Grey Heron! I would have preferred a lower F-number in order to get a cleaner BG so the Grey Heron would stand out a bit more.
You could try selecting the BG and blurring it a bit and toning it down a bit in order to improve this shot.

Greetings,

Jeroen Stel
Posted by Paul Hillion on March 22, 2007 at 9:57 AM
Thanks all, great advice, I'll have another bash at it later tonight.
Posted by Justin on March 22, 2007 at 4:29 PM
I feel that ideally it would be better not to have such a dominant tree trunk immediately behind the bird,but not being familiar with that location/viewpoint perhaps this is easier said than done.However saying that,I don't find it especially distracting,mainly becaues the bird stands out so well from the more muted shades of the trees.
The portrait format suits the image well.
Posted by Elliott Neep on March 22, 2007 at 5:25 PM
Lovely light and nice to get a bit of context with the water and trees.

I tried that and got stopped by the police. Be warned. If you are a pro/pro-am then you need a permit to photograph in the royal parks. The do check on published images to see whether the photographer has obtained a permit. :eek:
Posted by Paul Hillion on March 22, 2007 at 6:10 PM
Justin I totally agree about the tree and I did try various vantage points and this was the only spot I could 1. get the heron in a favourable position and 2. not have lots of people in bright coats in the background. I will at some stage try masking the heron and perch and bluring the background a bit, probably once I buy the graphics tablet I've been considering.

Elliot I wasn't aware of that so thanks. I did notice a police car watching me whilst I was in St James Park but they left me alone.
Posted by Nick Railton on March 22, 2007 at 7:13 PM
Great shot Paul, I understand from a friend at work the Heron's are not that timid in Regent's Park, she said they walk around the lake perimeter with the public is she correct?

Cheers

Nick
Posted by PhilH on March 23, 2007 at 4:31 AM
Hi Paul,

A nice Regents Park Heron, the bg doesn't bother me to much as that is how it is....

All the best

:toast: :toast:
Posted by Paul Hillion on March 23, 2007 at 6:09 AM
Nick, it was my first visit to Regents Park and it was on recommendation from one of the members here. The Heron's were indeed quite tame and you could get fairly close to them. A few of the local residents were feeding them on the grass area when I arrived which provided a good chance for portrait type shots. There was also a varied collection of wildfowl to enjoy.

Thanks all.