My Friday evening date

[Gary Esman]

Very dark cloudy evening in Cleveland and this fella sat and let us shoot until we had enough. I hope you like him. Thanks for looking and looking forward to the comments.

7D, f/5.6, iso 800, 1/160, 700mm, fill flash.

Gary.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice portrait and BG, I like the raised foot

[MohsenVahedipour]

Lovely portrait. Like the pose, raised foot, HA & Background. TFS

[allanrube]

I like the bg and raised foot too - lots of detail in that foot.

The only thing that bothers me is that it looks like someone carved letters on the wood it is standing on. Can that be cloned out?

[Stu Bowie]

Good DOF Gary, and you have captured great feather detail, and overall nice and sharp too. Good HA, and the raised foot adds a nice touch.

[Randy Stout]

Gary:

I wondered when he would show up! He was quite the cooperative fellow. Nice job on the cropping choice below, as that one branch in front of the perch was a challenge.

Really like the foot up, head angle, and of course the great fall background.

Did you need to do much noise reduction in post? My images from that session are a bit on the noisy side ( ISO 1600 will do that)

I could see it perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 brighter, but as presented really is what it looked like that afternoon.

Cheers

Randy

[Dan Behm]

Gary,
Very nice, So many things to like about this image. I especially like the raised foot and the fact we can see the entire bird so well. The separation between Bird and BG really strengthens this image from others I have seen and the composition I find very pleasing.

I could see this maybe brighter as well, But as Randy mentions it portrays what you saw that evening, that being the case, I don't believe I would change a thing. Nice to have met you while up this way and happy your trip back was a safe one! congrats on this fine image!

Dan

[Dave Leroy]

Very nicely done. I like the dark tones in this one but do wonder what a bit brighter heron would look like. Stately pose.

[Marina Scarr]

I like it quite well just as presented. Lovely colors and great details! Raised foot a plus. Writing on the log doensnt bother me. Adds a little character/story to the photo.

[Gary Esman]

I like the bg and raised foot too - lots of detail in that foot.

The only thing that bothers me is that it looks like someone carved letters on the wood it is standing on. Can that be cloned out?

Thanks Allan, I noticed the carved areas also, but I do not think they are letters. The position of the log is such that it would be rather difficult for anyone to do that. But, a good idea to possibly clone them out.

Gary.

[Gary Esman]

Gary:

I wondered when he would show up! He was quite the cooperative fellow. Nice job on the cropping choice below, as that one branch in front of the perch was a challenge.

Really like the foot up, head angle, and of course the great fall background.

Did you need to do much noise reduction in post? My images from that session are a bit on the noisy side ( ISO 1600 will do that)

I could see it perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 brighter, but as presented really is what it looked like that afternoon.

Cheers

Randy

Thanks Randy, yes I used NR. In a shot like this I like to remember what the day felt like.

Gary.

[Gary Esman]

Gary,
Very nice, So many things to like about this image. I especially like the raised foot and the fact we can see the entire bird so well. The separation between Bird and BG really strengthens this image from others I have seen and the composition I find very pleasing.

I could see this maybe brighter as well, But as Randy mentions it portrays what you saw that evening, that being the case, I don't believe I would change a thing. Nice to have met you while up this way and happy your trip back was a safe one! congrats on this fine image!

Dan

Thanks Dan, it was a pleasure to meet you also, we had a great time. Will most likely be back next year.

Gary.

[Dan Busby]

Love it Gary.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

I think the BG adds so much to this as it compliments the birds colors and it's nice and clean. Great detail On the GH and I too like the raised foot.

[Josh Clark]

Great image Gary. I too like the raise foot that you were able to capture. Well composed and well presented.

[Gary Esman]

Thanks all for the kind comments and suggestions! He was a riot to shoot. They always look like they are ready to take off someones head.

Gary.

[Troy Lim]

Superb overall. Killer BG, great pose.
I would go a tad brighter.

[Raul Padilla]

I like very much, elegant pose in one leg, amazing ISO 800and no noise visible, very clear bkg