Jerry Baumann
July 2024 - Grey Blue Heron
About the Image(s)
I photographed this gray heron in a wetlands in Colorado at 7000 ft. I’ve seen it for a few days most
years, as it is apparently migrating through our area. I’ve seen it apparently stalking underwater pray in
the water other years.
I photographed it with a DSLR APS-c Canon, shooting with a Canon 100-400mm L series, 2 nd generation
(full frame) lens, at ISO 400, f-9, 1/1000 sec. Minimal cropping. Except for lens corrections, color
correction, and minor luminance and contrast tweaking, there was very little post processing.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted
Jerry, the GBH is sharp but the grass in front of him is competing very strongly and taking away protagonism of the bird. Also, as a side note we do not see the complete legs. The black smudge on the left upper quadrant is also distracting as is the greenery on the water. Sometimes getting low helps to avoid some of these distractions, and of course, to walk the image until you do not include the grass if possible. Posted: 07/04/2024 23:43:28
Hi Jerry. You were probably very excited to see this Great Blue Heron. Also as Isaac suggests, if you were crouched lower you would not have as much room over the bird, avoiding the black smudge on the upper left quadrant. Hope you have other opportunities in the future to catch this great bird. Posted: 07/08/2024 22:34:30
Jerry, you did a good job on the Great Blue Heron. I appreciate Isaac's suggestions. The top of both of the GBH's legs are blocked by two reeds. If you would have moved a little right or left we would have included the legs. Jim Posted: 07/11/2024 15:49:06
Hi Jerry, I agree with comments of others on avoiding distracting elements next time. In terms of getting full bird, as I am a novice in bird photography, what if in this case the image is cropped to focus only on the face and thus avoid the distractions?
Posted: 07/12/2024 14:28:28
Posted: 07/12/2024 14:28:28
Gloria, I really like your approach. Your cropping addresses most of the issues, and it's dramatic. Posted: 07/12/2024 15:37:23
Thaks for you sharing the beautiful image of the Great Blue Heron. A very sharp eye looks into the distance, with a separate feather and long hair on the tip of the head, very impressive, If there is chance you could catch the bird flapping its wings and about to take off, we can see more beautiful figures. Posted: 07/17/2024 02:24:44
Jerry, I see these birds in our area all year round and never get tired of photographing them. I agree with others comments but sometimes you have no choice, specially with wildlife. I like Gloria's approach of dealing with the distractions since the image is so sharp. You even have a feather sticking out on its head which adds an interest to the head shot! Posted: 07/17/2024 20:41:39