Night Heron with food

[Ofer Levy]

1D Mark IV, Canon 800mm f5.6 plus x1.4, 1/320, f9, iso 1000, tripod, full Wimberley, hide

Another one from my recent visit in Israel. Had this image in mind for years but only now with the Canon 800mm and x1.4 converter (1120mm optical) I have finally managed to get it. It was right at sunrise which reflects the nocturnal behaviour of this bird.

Cropped from a horizontal

[James Fuller]

Wow...Excellent!!! Water drop, color of water in bkgrnd, really put this one over the top.

[Marina Scarr]

This is an amazing capture, Ofer. The image quality of the 800 with a 1.4 is just outstanding. Love your BG here. The head angle of the bird and the fish, the bird's tongue and the water drop coming off the fish really help to put this image over the top.

[Lorant Voros]

Nice when an old plan can be realized like this. You only needed to spend $13 899 for this small lens:-). IQ is awesome, light is sweet, eye contact from both bird and fish and the water droplet puts it over the top. Congratulations.

[laurie golden]

Wow, I don't dream that big. Congratulations on the capture. Is that the rising sun in his eye?

[Jack Breakfast]

Wonderful details, obviously. And I wish you a hearty mazel tov on a dream realized. I've been looking at this picture for a while. I find myself wishing for the impossible: I wish I could also see the fine heron's body and feet and water around him. Such a picture would have required a 400mm lens? 500mm? I've noticed that a lot of people on this forum, myself included, wish for different photographs than the photographer had in mind when he released the shutter. Such wishing will sometimes offend the photographer, causing the photographer to become defensive. In writing these words now, I realize this: wishing for a different photograph than the photographer intended to make is perhaps not a valid "critique" as all of this boils down to personal taste. Aesthetics and so forth. It's better, probably, to critique the image at hand and save the wishing for one's own photography. And now I've negated my own criticism. Such, perhaps, is the power of this image. I've done a 180, as they say. Ofer: great work, and thank you for sharing pictures like these.

[Melissa Groo]

Just love this close portrait, the eye contact from both creatures, the exceptional detail and image quality, and the BG. Phenomenal image. Nice to see you back and posting, Ofer!

[jack williamson]

Wow! One of the best bird with food images I have ever seen.

Jack

[MohsenVahedipour]

Exeptional portait. Like the food Item, water drop, IQ & lovely BG. As I see information in EXIF, it can't be the rising sun. TFS

[Morkel Erasmus]

exceptional IQ and a wonderful moment in the best light possible.
congrats on this, Ofer!

[Ofer Levy]

Thanks everyone for your comments and kind words! The rising sun can indeed be seen in the eye. The clock was set to Sydney time but this image was taken in Israel....

[dankearl]

Awesome close up, everything looks great.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Dang and Holy fish! That is quite a capture. The fish facing us and the drop of the water then you got that killer red eye goin on. Super cool Ofer.

[gail bisson]

Wow Ofer.This is superb.The light is beautiful.The fish, tongue, sun in the pupil and the big water droplet merit a 10 out of 10 from me.No nits from me,
Congrats ,
Gail

[christopher galeski]

superb image,its all been said.well done.

[arash_hazeghi]

looks great Ofer, love that giant fish!

[Peter Scholer]

Incredible. So many excellent features as mentioned, I can only agree. Well done. Amazing.