Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
On my last Sea Otter photo tour I caught this Great Blue Heron landing in the slough with great late afternoon lighting. If I had to nit pick I only wish I caught more of a complete shadow of the birds head in its wing. Such compositional concerns are never a thought in the split second needed to capture such a photo and only surface when editing a photo. Ah the joys and pains of being your own worst enemy.
[tags]Photography, Wildlife, Nature, Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, stock photo[/tags]
What a capture! Superb… The colors, the exposure, the sharpness.. Just perfect. I really enjoyed this photo!
Amazing sharpness to that photo. Great job!
Do not worry, we all have the same feelings when it comes to taking “that” shot at the right moment: You’ve done really well! Simply breath taking. I loved it, natural yet intriguing.
Great shot, Jim.
You are sure right that one cannot control stuff like the shadow of the birds neck – it is hard enough just to get focus and keep the critter in the frame!
I have a related story. I shot an egret last year at Point Lobos, but I didn’t realize until I got home that I _did_ capture a neck shadow on the bird’s wing: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2008/12/12/egret-alights-whalers-cove
Dan
That’s a beautiful image Jim. The lighting is awesome as well
Nice image. The shadow is neat, but the gulls behind the GBH and the tight framing on the right edge seem like the bigger issues to my eye. Really enjoying going through your blog.
Jim