I like the lighting on this photo but I'm wondering if it's too dark...would like to know what you think or any other comments. Thanks!
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Little Blue Heron...navigating the terrain.
- Thread starter SonoranDesert
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Thanks Hut2 for the feedback.
DanG
Well-known member
I love the image. Great capture.
I feel there is a opportunity to bring out color in the rocks and the greenery without taking away from the beauty of the bird. The contrasting colors will help the bird pop even more.
I feel there is a opportunity to bring out color in the rocks and the greenery without taking away from the beauty of the bird. The contrasting colors will help the bird pop even more.
Thanks DanG. Appreciate the feedback!
dwillar
Active member
I would not mess with perfection! Print it and hang it on the wall. The light is wonderful bouncing of the rocks and the bird is in perfect focus. I really like the little bit of dark shadow generated by the heron's toe on the rock in the foreground. 
Good morning @dwillar, I LOVE that you noticed the “little dark shadow generated by the heron’s toe…”! I like that, too. The photo is moody which is part of why I favor it. What do you think about the green plant on the lower left…in or out?I would not mess with perfection! Print it and hang it on the wall. The light is wonderful bouncing of the rocks and the bird is in perfect focus. I really like the little bit of dark shadow generated by the heron's toe on the rock in the foreground.
dwillar
Active member
I am a bit conflicted here. Not sure what type of plant that is or whether it is native in that habitat. It is a bit distracting I suppose but not overly so to me. I like the crop in the original so I might be tempted to try and remove the plant and see what it looks like compared to the original. It takes a lot of time to get this kind of operation done correctly for me. I am very picky about not being able to see that I have been tiptoeing through the tulips so to speak. Or maybe darkening the greens in the plant a bit would work.
The photo is definitely worth playing with if the plant is a bother. You have a truly stellar photo to start with!
The photo is definitely worth playing with if the plant is a bother. You have a truly stellar photo to start with!
Thank you. I’m gonna “play” with it!
dwillar
Active member
I think "moody" is what pulled me into the image with such a powerful force. A very young and experienced heron all alone in a hostile environment. Lots of emotion there. An image that tells a story about life and creation. You have an amazing ability to capture "the story" in your work. Maybe we should be looking for "the story" and document it with our images. I have seen but one version of your story. What story do you see in the image? 
Hey dwillar...first of all thank you so much for the compliment - it carries a lot of water - as for "the story"....I'm intrigued...."the story"....are you referring to fiction or non-fiction?I think "moody" is what pulled me into the image with such a powerful force. A very young and experienced heron all alone in a hostile environment. Lots of emotion there. An image that tells a story about life and creation. You have an amazing ability to capture "the story" in your work. Maybe we should be looking for "the story" and document it with our images. I have seen but one version of your story. What story do you see in the image?
I would leave it as is.
dwillar
Active member
You earned the compliment some time ago! "the story" ends up being a collection of the things that draws us into producing our story. The emotion that tells us we need to shoot a shot or series of shots in the moment. Take the shots while they are available and worry about what it was that prompted your participation afterward. The story will unveil its self in due time. In the end, the truth of the story depends entirely on the person viewing the story at any given time. You and Nature are co-Creators of the story. Viewers see and feel different things when they view your co-Creation. There is no fiction/non-fiction here at all - only the Truth as seen by the viewer.
Enjoy!
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Hey Dan, I see “it” (life) similarly…it’s all about relationships…with whomever and whatever. Here’s to continuing to produce our own story and perhaps sharing it along the way. Cheers!You earned the compliment some time ago! "the story" ends up being a collection of the things that draws us into producing our story. The emotion that tells us we need to shoot a shot or series of shots in the moment. Take the shots while they are available and worry about what it was that prompted your participation afterward. The story will unveil its self in due time. In the end, the truth of the story depends entirely on the person viewing the story at any given time. You and Nature are co-Creators of the story. Viewers see and feel different things when they view your co-Creation. There is no fiction/non-fiction here at all - only the Truth as seen by the viewer.
Here is a link to one of my well hidden personal web pages that explains my understanding of truth: http://pages.swcp.com/~dwillar/life.html
Enjoy!
I think that -0.7 exposure comp got you here. The bird maybe was in the sun and moved into a shadowy area and you forgot to change it perhaps? Yes easy to fix in post though! Beautiful image of a juvenile Little Blue Heron though!!
Hi @gdecamp, I purposely set the exp comp to -0.7 because I didn’t want to over expose the heron. I do plan on working on different options in post. The Little Blue was gorgeous and I was particularly taken with it’s changing plumage.
Ok cool it's a beautiful photo and bird!
And…it’s clear that the preference would be to lighten it up which is exactly why I posted and asked that exact question. I truly appreciate all the feedback.
It would also be my preference to lighten up the heron a bit, and perhaps even darken the background a bit more. I don't know if or how you cropped this, but I also think it would be nice to have the bird moved up a little bit to the upper left, so it's looking more into the picture, if you can.
Hi Richard, thanks for the feedback. It’s helpful to have all of these ideas so I can increase my post processing skills…well, the word skills may be exaggerating a bit.
G Wright
Member
Beautiful capture! I can see why you want to bring out the best in it. If it was mine, I would concentrate on the rock directly behind its head and the one it is standing on. I can see where the sun is hitting and would just lighten those areas up, and slightly lower the area there the "toe shadow' is so they are balanced. That would make the dappled light we see in the woods more natural.
On another note, what denoise did you use? I can see your tag -denoiseAI.jpg The image is impressively clean!
On another note, what denoise did you use? I can see your tag -denoiseAI.jpg The image is impressively clean!
Thank you! @G Wright for the recommendations. If I spent as much time learning post processing as I do shooting…well, you know…
As for which denoise I used…it’s odd that the file name didn’t have the tag…I checked and for some reason it didn’t attache to file name…all my others have either “clear”, “standard”, etc… wierd…
Thanks again!