My Green Heron (Again)

[Edward Arthur]

I spotted a juvenile green heron trying to fish but just couldn't get a clean shot through the marsh grass. Then along came its mama from across the pond and landed in the tree above to supervise.

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80-200 + 2x TC @400mm
HH and MF
f/4 1/1000 ISO 400

Wish I had the feet in focus among other things, but oh well. I'll keep trying. . .

[Jim Keener]

Now I think I know what a Green Heron should look like. Beautiful focus on the bird's eye. Is the crop a bit tight?

[Diane Miller]

Very nice¡ What was the camera body? Could you have gone to a higher ISO and gotten more DOF with a smaller aperture? If you can overexpose a little and bring it down in post, you'll get less noise than if you bring up shadows in a "normal" exposure.

I agree with Jim -- the crop is bit tight, although I like pixels on the subject. Maybe just a tad low in contrast -- how did you process the raw file?

[Edward Arthur]

Thanks, guys. Camera body is Canon 6D. I had it dialed in to capture the juvenile down below somewhat in shadows and backlit, but then went into panic mode when mama showed up in the strong light and struck some nice poses. I don't remember all the details of my pp, but I basically threw the book at it: in LR killed highlights/shadows, lowered blacks and boosted whites; then in PS cut three layers with Topaz Remask for body, head and feet, applied Topaz Detail on each layer and then Focus Magic on the head to snag the eyes. Also tweaked curves on the neck area to bring down shadows.

I'm with you on the crop, don't know what I was thinking. But there's plenty of canvas left to work with.

[Diane Miller]

Good you got the shot, with the surprise action. Looks like some thoughtful processing.

[Jim Keener]

I keep coming back to this. It's one of my favorite birds at my favorite place to shoot: the Salton Sea. But I've yet to get a decent image. You set the bar high.

[Edward Arthur]

Thanks, Jim. I'll have some American Bitterns showing up later this summer. Looking forward to them.

Ok, I added some canvas left. Diane's article was helpful here. I think improves the comp. But I agree now that I should have stopped down more for better DOF for the upward angle.

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[Diane Miller]

Good! While you're at it, a little more top and right?

[Edward Arthur]

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Added canvas top and right. Not a bad idea, maybe just a question of quantity.

[Diane Miller]

Yes, better, for me. A bird needs a little room in the frame, even for what is more of a portrait rather than an environmental shot.