I took this photograph six years ago when my wife and I were in Key West, Florida. Standing on the balcony of our apartment, I watched the herons wading through the shallow water. Something about the patterns and texture of the water captured my attention. The water almost looked like it would make an interesting abstract image.
Recently, while looking through some old images, I ran across the photograph and decided to experiment with the lighting to see if I could emphasize the texture and lighting of the water. Using Camera Raw, I significantly cropped the photograph and then significantly increased the contrast and clarity. Also, I slightly boosted the vibrance to bring out a small touch of blue in the water. Next, I took the image into Photoshop to remove some of the bright spots from the edges. Finally, I used DeNoise AI since the photograph was taken at a relatively high ISO and heavily cropped.
Data: Canon 5D Mark IV; 100-400mm lens @ 400mm; 1/8000 sec; f/5.6; ISO 1600
9 comments posted
Mark Burgess
HI Oliver, I think this was well worth showing us. I think your choices are great and while there is an abstract element, I think the simple heron silhouette gives worthwhile focus to the image. The treatment of the water has given it a really oily feel and bringing out the color is a good move too. There is a white halo around the bird which I guess is an artefact of the processing that I would get rid of. I am saying this because I have been called out many times on letting this happen in my work. Posted: 09/01/2023 19:15:38
Oliver Morton
Whoops! Mark, I was lazy and didn't take care of the halos. THANK YOU for pointing it out! I've tried to address the problem (attached).
Posted: 09/01/2023 21:53:14
Jim Horn
Pete, I like what you saw in this and how you treated us to the pattern of the water and the way the light reflects. The touches of blue help make this very interesting. Well done.
Jim Posted: 09/04/2023 15:49:51
Oliver Morton
Thank you, Jim. Although I noticed the water patterns and the light reflections on it when I originally took the photograph, it wasn't until I recently played with it in Photoshop that I thought it would make an interesting image.
Posted: 09/05/2023 09:05:23
Sophia Schade
Pete, thank you for sharing this photo and giving us the background. As you know I love wildlife photography and I would never had taken this photo … Thank you for opening my eyes on looking at this photo differently, (patterns and Textures) vs the heron. Well done on being different. Posted: 09/05/2023 03:20:58
Oliver Morton
Sophia, I appreciate your appreciation. I think Mark's observation was excellent: "...the simple heron silhouette gives worthwhile focus to the image." So, I don't know if this would be accepted as a wildlife photograph or not. To me, it's a bit hard to categorize.
Posted: 09/05/2023 09:09:24
Barbara E Miller
Despite my fully enlarging this, perhaps it is my monitor , but I could not find a trace of halo around the bird. Pete I think this would do well in a Nature exh. the water patterns give the image an unusual look without the customary focusing on the bird it has the elements of a winner Posted: 09/05/2023 15:38:44
Oliver Morton
Barbara, I had to blow up the image quite a bit before seeing the halo.
One of the reasons I like this image is that it's different from most bird photographs. When first looking at the image, it's easy to miss the bird. Then, after a few seconds, it appears... like a surprise gift.
Posted: 09/20/2023 20:24:07
David Price
You have some great patterns and textures but the heron just adds that little extra which makes the image. Well done! Usually I don't like halos but in this case I don't mind. Posted: 09/20/2023 04:14:53
