Green Backed Heron

[Dumay de Boulle]

Canon 1D MKIII
Canon 500 f4 L IS + 1.4 Ext
AV f5.6
Exp + 0.33
TV 1/3200
ISO 800
AWB
RAW file processed in CS5 & iMac

[RakeshDhareshwar]

Wow ! Awesome sharpnes on the bird and a BG to die for . Here , in India , they rarely come out in the open .

[Arno Ellmer]

Great image, Dumay ! Nice to get him in the open.
I love the perch and the way the toes are curled around the branch. Very good IQ and a lovely bg.
If it were mine would take off just a little on left and top.
Did you wait for the take -off ??? :bg3:

[RAM MALLYA]

Agree with rakesh here amazing BG you have got

[Tom Rambaut]

very nice - I like the room the bird has here. The IQ is very good.

[Chris Martinez]

I'm sure I've seen that perch before!!
Positioning of the bird in frame works really well.
Not sure if you've done any NR on the BG but for me personally it just looks too smooth. I'd be inclined to reduce the NR or add a smidgen of grain (just personal preference though)

This species is so very similar to the Aussie Striated Heron - grey morph. Really cool birds to follow as they stalk the little fishes on the mudflats.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Neat perch, BG, and of course subject! Techs look good, as does the composition. It would have been neat had it perched higher on the branch, but man I'd love this any day!!

[gail bisson]

This is lovely. It is so nice to see him out in the open and the green in the back. I like the BG color and how it perfectly matches the brown in the heron. The IQ is awesome .
Gail

[Dumay de Boulle]

Thanks for the comments folks...
Arno you are spot on with the 'take off thing' thats why the settings were such.
Chris I am playing around with mild NR 1 round then a BG blur at approx. 3.2, glad you pointed it out I will see if anyone else mentions it.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Absolutely - the first thing I said was WOW - lovely quality. It didn't occur to me first time but now I have read the posts I agree the background it too structureless, I suspect NR without the Blur would be adequate.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Thanks for that folks...Reposted with no extra sharpening, NR or blurring...Would be interested to know which you perfer

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

I am liking the OP as I think it pops more. You call this a green backed heron. Is it the same as our "little Green Heron "here in FL? Nice pose and detail on he heron. They are tough to get in the open.

[Jonathan Ashton]

I prefer the original colours there is more contrast but I prefer the background on the second. I offer my interpretation for your consideration - Having said that I have never seen one of these birds maybe I have the blacks a little too dense?

[Dumay de Boulle]

Sorry forgot to mention I cropped converted to JPEG and that was it..>No PP was done, I just wanted to see what people thought re BG NR and blur to see what the original BG looked like!

[Stu Bowie]

Hey mate, with a BG like that, it can only be Mankwe. :w3 Super alert pose from the heron, and I like the placement in the frame. In your OP, sharpness is spot on, and Im going with the BG in your OP. I dont believe it is too smooth, knowing Mankwe BG's. Well captured.

[Melissa Groo]

I love the OP just as it is. Stunning image, Dumay! That BG is just gorgeous, and I love the alert, poised look of the bird. Great IQ.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Dumay, I like everything in your OP. the space, the angle, BG, sharpness, exposure, placement....everything is spot on.

[Riju Bhattacharya]

Superb shot and a lovely pose...! That background is to die for :bg3:

[Chris Martinez]

Looking at them both side by side and given the chance I would combine the bird in the OP with the BG in the untouched RAW :bg3:
And looking at them even closer I notice a little posterization in the OP which isn't evident in the untouched jpeg. (In the LRC darker section)Have absolutely no idea what caused it.....
I might add that you were very subtle with you PP with which says to me that you did a killer job in camera.

In the end it's your creation and you have pleased many with your initial presentation :w3