Tiger Heron & Silky Water

[Greg Basco]

Hi, everyone and sorry for the lack of participation lately -- the tour season has been busy! Glenn Bartley and I hooked up a few weeks ago here in Costa Rica for some photography, and we came across this bare-throated tiger heron in a lowland rainforest river (Glenn posted a sweet shot from this encounter a couple of weeks ago). This was one of the coolest photo opportunities I've had in quite a while (amazing how still these guys stay while fishing!).

Like Glenn, I immediately thought slow shutter speed and composed here to include a bit of the surroundings. I have some tighter shots and some wider shots but this one was one of my favorites of the series as it seemed to strike a nice balance between bird and habitat. Comments always appreciated.

92539

Tech: Canon Mark IV, Canon 300 mm lens, 2x TC, f22, 2.5 seconds, ISO 320, polarizer, tripod, cable release, mirror lockup

Post: Full-frame image, standard tweaks in Lightroom

[Humberto Ramos]

The shot and the "idea" of the shot is great, I like it a lot. IMO maybe an f/22 is too much, I would lower the ISO, mayby 200 to maintain low speeds and maybe an f/16 or f/18, bacause I notice some loss of quality due to the f/22.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Really love the idea...I like Humberto's suggestion for sharper detail on the Heron...Very nicely done here Greg.

[Mikko Viljamaa]

I like this not only because it's unusual but because the photo is well executed. Somehow this reminds me of an old painting...

Mikko

[Doug Brown]

Amazing how motionless a Tiger Heron can remain while balanced on a rock in a rushing stream! Beautifully conceived and executed. The bird is perfectly placed in the frame. I do like Humberto's idea to reduce diffraction.

[arash_hazeghi]

pretty cool shot Greg, love the blur in the water and heron's pose, they are pretty much like a statue when they are hunting!

[Greg Basco]

Hi, and thanks for the comments. Actually, diffraction is not an issue here. I have other shots from the series at the same aperture (and even some at f32!) that are a bit sharper but liked this one for the comp. Variance in sharpness from shot to shot was due to slight subject movement rather than aperture choice.

Cheers,
Greg

[Mike Fuhr]

Very nice!! I saw this one on your web page and really liked it!!:bg3:

[Stu Bowie]

Well thought out Greg, with perfect placement of the heron. Most herons, especially the larger ones, wading in water can stay motionless for ages, scanning for the juiciest fish. :w3 I like the effect of the water. Well captured.

[Sudhir Shivaram]

This is pretty cool. And good thinking of using slow shutter speed to get the silky flow of water and to include the habitat. The placement of the heron is also nice. Did you try for a low angle to include more of the water flowing in the background. That would have given the larger DOF and more of the silky flow of water.

Regards,
Sudhir

[Craig Brelsford]

What's most impressive is the way you read the opportunities there. Swiftly flowing water, motionless bird.