Black Crowned Night Heron

[zethar zethar]

Here is one from a recent outing. Thanks for all C & C.




Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Lens: EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM
Focal Length: 800.0mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 0.0080 s (1/125)
ISO equiv: 800
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No
Copyright: © Zethar Photography

[Tony Whitehead]

Good sharpness and pose. The "holes" in the BG are a bit distracting and could be easily patched if so inclined. Burning in the perch a little is an option.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Tony covered it all. Beautiful detail and exposure and great eye contact. Would it have been possible to move back a bit so as not to have to shoot up quite as much? Well done and thanks for sharing.

[Arthur Morris]

Good head angle for the pose. The bird is too dark. What did you spotmeter? How did you compensate? The perch does not look bright at all. I do agree on losing the white holes in the foliage; a 60% Clone Stamp job would work well.

[zethar zethar]

Thank you for your comments.

Artie, I was trying to meter on the whites around the bird's neck/chest to preserve highlight feather detail.

It was a very cloudy, grey day with less than ideal ambient light and I think the camera sensor captured it realistically.

I have made some changes to the image including cloning out the white spots in the background and dodged the bird a bit.

Let me know what you think of the repost.