Blue Heron

[Terry Johnson]

136755

Hello, this image was taken yesterday at the Ridgefield Wildlife Preserve in Washington. An overcast day with fog just overhead. The bird was about 30 yards away.

Camera Info:

Nikon D800
Nikon 70-200mm with 2.0X teleconverter at 400mm
F5.6
1/1000
A-Priority
ISO-720

Thanks for viewing...Terry Johnson

[arash_hazeghi]

I like the perch with moss and the view of the feet. Main issue is HA that is angled away from us. There is also a bright halo around the bird.

Check out this excellent article by Artie about how to get a good HA http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/69803-Head-Angle-Fine-Points



TFS

[Terry Johnson]

Arash, thanks for the comments. The halo was caused by selecting the bird with a feathering of 150 pixels and then reversing to tone down the BG light. I like the head angle as it provides a full profile of the birds head. If I would have caught the bird with his/her head turned more toward the camera, I would have lost some of that profile. Personal taste...Terry Johnson

[Alan Murphy]

Hey Terry, I agree with Arash. I don't see this as a full profile head, but slightly turned away from the viewer. The difference between rejection and intimacy IMO. As mentioned, the perch is wonderful. A boost in vibrancy would help too IMO.

[Bob Pelkey]

A Great Blue Heron is difficult to overlook, certainly in your neck of the woods, Terry. You should investigate the blog of Jen Sanford who writes, "I used to hate birds." She visits Ridgefield NWR frequently.
http://www.iusedtohatebirds.com/

Nice exposure on the bird with a very thoughtful crop.

[arash_hazeghi]

Arash, thanks for the comments. The halo was caused by selecting the bird with a feathering of 150 pixels and then reversing to tone down the BG light. I like the head angle as it provides a full profile of the birds head. If I would have caught the bird with his/her head turned more toward the camera, I would have lost some of that profile. Personal taste...Terry Johnson


The halo can be fixed by using small radius.

This HA does not work IMO. I saw you had similar issue with your other photos so I provided the link. If you want to improve your work and get more than just snap shots I recommend considering that article but it is up to you. Think about it, when you photograph people do you photograph a person facing the camera or with their face turned away from the camera? A photo without good eye contact does not usually make a connection with the viewer.

Best luck

[Terry Johnson]

A Great Blue Heron is difficult to overlook, certainly in your neck of the woods, Terry. You should investigate the blog of Jen Sanford who writes, "I used to hate birds." She visits Ridgefield NWR frequently.
http://www.iusedtohatebirds.com/

Nice exposure on the bird with a very thoughtful crop.

Bob, thanks for providing the info on Jen Sanford. I will keep an eye out for her when visiting the reserve...Terry

[Terry Johnson]

The halo can be fixed by using small radius.

This HA does not work IMO. I saw you had similar issue with your other photos so I provided the link. If you want to improve your work and get more than just snap shots I recommend considering that article but it is up to you. Think about it, when you photograph people do you photograph a person facing the camera or with their face turned away from the camera? A photo without good eye contact does not usually make a connection with the viewer.

Best luck

Arash, I politely disagree. Presentation of subject matter is personal taste. If you prefer to display the head position for a bird in a certain manner, I may disagree, however, it is up to you to display your subject any way you choose. You will find some will agree with you and others won't. I read the article you posted in its entirety and I agree with some parts, while other parts seemed a little to precise. Taking images of birds is not a diving competition, at least not for me. I read each response for the images I post and some of them cause me to rethink my composition and post processing while others do not. To me it is a matter of personal preference.

Thanks for the advice on using a smaller radius...Sincerely...Terry Johnson:S3:

[Terry Johnson]

Hey Terry, I agree with Arash. I don't see this as a full profile head, but slightly turned away from the viewer. The difference between rejection and intimacy IMO. As mentioned, the perch is wonderful. A boost in vibrancy would help too IMO.

Alan, thanks for the feedback. I will play around with the 'vibrancy' CS6 and see how it looks. Thanks again...Terry Johnson

[arash_hazeghi]

Arash, I politely disagree. Presentation of subject matter is personal taste. If you prefer to display the head position for a bird in a certain manner, I may disagree, however, it is up to you to display your subject any way you choose. You will find some will agree with you and others won't. I read the article you posted in its entirety and I agree with some parts, while other parts seemed a little to precise. Taking images of birds is not a diving competition, at least not for me. I read each response for the images I post and some of them cause me to rethink my composition and post processing while others do not. To me it is a matter of personal preference.

Thanks for the advice on using a smaller radius...Sincerely...Terry Johnson:S3:

Terry, I tried to help you but it seems to me you are not really open to honest critique and think your work is good as is. Taking a poor photo is indeed a matter of choice, your choice.

FYI, this is a critique forum, if you don't agree with objective critique or don't like it, you don't have to justify yourself. There are other websites where they just say "great shot" and maybe that suits you better. Not everyone can handle critique and we see some folks come and then drop out. But those who stay and are open to and willing to consider critique and pay attention to details will see their quality of work improve significantly after a while.


good luck to you :S3:

[Terry Johnson]

Arash, I could use some critique on how to best process this image in ACR and CS6. If I send you a raw image would you be willing to process the image to the best of your ability and send it back to me so I can compare it to what I have done? Granted the HA may not be to your liking, however, I could use your experience on post processing.

Let me know...Terry Johnson