Great Blue Heron

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

Platalea ajaja

Platalea ajaja

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Marketplace
Member's gallery
I saw this guy spring of last year. Light was a bit harsh, but I thought he was one of the best looking GBHs I've seen. Light was still a bit harsh and I was hoping he would hang around another 30 minutes or so but he didn't seem as interested in my photographic endeavors as I did.

I don't mind the light streaks in the background, except for the one bright one coming out of his head.

Comments and critiques welcomed. Thanks for looking.

Nikon D850 500PF f/5.6 1/1250 second. Exposure Comp. -0.3


2021-N-0004.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
Member's gallery
The horizon looks to be tilted down to the right a bit, I think. Were the colors really that saturated on the beak and by the eye? If so I understand your attraction to the bird, if not maybe back off a little on saturation. The focus is sharp, and the whites are not blown out, which can be a problem with these white faced beauties. You could selectively darken the light streak above the bird's head if it bothers you, or even clone of do a selective fill. To me it's not an issue.
 
Member's gallery
Thanks Woody. No added saturation, I'm sure I added a bit of vibrance (LR) but I never get too heavy handed with that. This is pretty much how the guy looked, I thought he was a stunning specimen.

My PS skills are pretty limited but some content aware fill might work. I should give it a try. Thanks for looking.
 
Member's gallery
Platalea ajaja said:
Thanks Woody. No added saturation, I'm sure I added a bit of vibrance (LR) but I never get too heavy handed with that. This is pretty much how the guy looked, I thought he was a stunning specimen.

My PS skills are pretty limited but some content aware fill might work. I should give it a try. Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...

That's an amazingly colorful GBH! Very cool that you got shots of it.

BTW, if you upgrade to the latest version on Lightroom, there are now content aware fill options. Regular old cloning could work, too. You have to be patient and take your time with either option.
 
Member's gallery
Platalea ajaja said:
I saw this guy spring of last year. Light was a bit harsh, but I thought he was one of the best looking GBHs I've seen. Light was still a bit harsh and I was hoping he would hang around another 30 minutes or so but he didn't seem as interested in my photographic endeavors as I did.

I don't mind the light streaks in the background, except for the one bright one coming out of his head.

Comments and critiques welcomed. Thanks for looking.

Nikon D850 500PF f/5.6 1/1250 second. Exposure Comp. -0.3


View attachment 49063
Click to expand...
That’s their breeding plumage. They are really beautiful during the breeding season. . That blue near the eye is very distinctive during the spring.
 
Member's gallery
Platalea ajaja said:
Comments and critiques welcomed. Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...
He's a beauty. Nice capture in nice light.

Personally the bright reflection off the head doesn't bother me or overly distract. I might add an overall vignette (edge burn) to bring down the edges of the frame but overall I'd say very nice shot and well processed.
 
Member's gallery
It is a good looking bird. Love them ruffled up like this. The dark water is really nice. A great example of how BG/surroundings add a lot even on tight shots. Well done.
 
Not much to say as far as critique goes. Nice capture. Maybe experiment with less global sharpening and more selective, as maybe some bigger feather areas getting a little plastic looking. If you have the whole reflection that could look cool too with switching to portrait. I'm not sure I agree about the tilt. There aren't too many cues to work with. You set the same point on the feather and the matching reflection pretty square to the edges, so maybe double check with a grid to set those more perfectly, and the head and eyes seem level to the edges, so based on that the level seems good.
 
Member's gallery
Thanks everyone. Yeah, I believe it does need a bit more CCW rotation, my curse that I cannot seem to over come; almost every image I take is tilted CW.

And yes, I think it is a bit over sharpened. This might have been during my experimentation with all things Topaz.

Appreciate all the great feedback.
 
Platalea ajaja said:
Thanks everyone. Yeah, I believe it does need a bit more CCW rotation, my curse that I cannot seem to over come; almost every image I take is tilted CW.

And yes, I think it is a bit over sharpened. This might have been during my experimentation with all things Topaz.

Appreciate all the great feedback.
Click to expand...

Just curious what do you or others base the rotation decision on?
 
Platalea ajaja said:
In situations like this all I can go on is the surface of the water. Which can be deceiving.
Click to expand...

I've been turning on the in-camera level lately once in a while, and I'm surprised how wrong my eyes are. I guess I'm thinking that since the water is level to the world, perpendicular to the water would be plumb. And I've been assuming perhaps incorrectly that an object and its reflection should at least show the horizontal part of that, but now I'm not sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top