Great Blue Heron and Chick

[Maureen Allen]

My first post. This great blue heron and chick were photographed at Viera Wetlands in March of this year. Thank you for any advice or comments you might offer. I'm trying hard to improve my bird photography skills!

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j115/mta0572/mallen_gbh1.jpg

Nikon d300, 200-400 VR + 1.4x, 550mm, f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO 200

[Lance Peters]

Hi Maurice - Big warm welcome to BPN - Don't hesitate to jump right in and leave comments on other peoples images - no better of faster way to improve your own skills - all we ask is that you say what it is you like or don't like about the image.
Nice first post!
Couple of things that come straight to mind - but will reserve my comments until others have had a chance :)
Will come back :)

[Connie Mier]

Very nice first post, I think you did pretty good. Lighting seems a bit harsh is only thing I can think of. I might be inclined to have left more room on the right, off centering the main subjects. I bet you have lots more shots of these birds!

[Bob Miller]

Hi Maureen and welcome. Very nice capture.....I agree that more room on the right would help the composition. Also things look a bit too soft...esp the eyes.

[Julie Kenward]

Welcome Maureen! I also feel the light is a bit harsh - you might play with a reverse "s" curve and see if you can tone it down a bit. I would also add some to the right but I'd also take off a slice from the left side. Generally speaking, you usually want your main subjects to be in a Rule of Thirds (ROT's) position instead of dead center. There's lots of information about that in the educational and general discussion forums so go give that a look.

I also think the birds feel a bit soft - might try some more sharpening or use the high pass filter to see if you can pull some more detail and texture out of those feathers. The mama's head and neck are the softest areas to me and they generally need to be the sharpest.

[Maureen Allen]

Thank you for your very helpful replies. I will try these suggestions. While I was aware of the rule of thirds, I guess I neglected it in this case :confused: I have found the educational sections of this website to be very helpful and interesting. If you can put up with me, I will take advantage of your critiques as I try to improve my work.

[Julie Kenward]

That's why we're here, Maureen! Everyone starts somewhere and everyone progresses at their own pace. You'll be amazed at what small details you'll see in a very short period of time!