Grey Heron in Flight

[Vikram Agrawal]

Shot this Grey Heron in London on one of the few clear days we have here.

My photoshop skills are not up to scratch so I am also adding a link to the RAW file in case anyone has better ideas for processing.

Canon 7D
Handheld
400mm f5.6L
1/2500 sec
f7.1
ISO 500
RAW: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/56022791/IMG_0352.CR2

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Vikram, I like the composition and sharpness. good subject angle. Main issue here is the angle of the light. with this angle, a wings-down shot would have worked much better. For this wing position, you need a very low light angle.

[Vikram Agrawal]

Thanks Kaustubh, thats some very useful feedback. I will always remember your tip about the wing position and angle of light. thanks!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Very nice comp, exposure and corner to corner sharpness, Vikram. Love the blue sky too. Shadows from the light angle are an issue as Kaustubh mentioned - always good to have the sun behind you to the extent possible. Other than that, you did a great job.

[Arthur Morris]

Sharp with a good exposure. But: the bird is angling slightly away from you and the big shadow, as noted above, is a problem. Lightening the shadow in Photoshop would improve it but a better light angle or catching the full downstroke would have been much better.

[Vikram Agrawal]

Thanks a lot, always appreciate your valuable feedback. catching the downstroke would definitely have helped in this instance. I need to rent that lens again and take more pics :)