Heron On The Path by ginger

ginger_55 · June 7, 2005

I was on a deserted hot path over by the Ashley river. It is a place I would see birds in the fall. Folliage was grown up and the grounds worker said I would see nothing. I was persevering down the path, looking for cat tails. Suddenly a big noise and this Heron appeared on the path I was on. Just a spit of land, only one path, marsh on one side and the river on the other.

I was so excited, my lens, the 70-200 was too short, the 300 with two extensions was too long, but I was still excited. I notice that the photos appear grainy with a distinctive color. The ISO was 800, don't know why, and it was towards late afternoon. I don't know which lens this was, but I would imagine that it is the longer one. I had to fit the bird in, difficult for me handholding, hot, tired and excited. I do like these shots. I love the legs and the feet of this confident bird, quite at home on HIS path.

Comments are welcome. ginger 6/6/2005

These are not cropped. I do have a vertical version of this, but I decided to be consistent and show them as they were taken.

You can see the vegetation along the edge of the marsh.

High Steppin', below

A Half A Heron was the last photo I took of him, here. I have many photos to upload, but I was most curious about these. Not often a heron walks in front of me on "our" paths. Happened again later on another path. Lots of herons out today.

If this one is a little OOF, I apologize. I may have a substitute on another card, not uploaded yet.

An enjoyable, dehydrating day. And the babies have really grown. Some are gone, but that is all later.

ginger

jwear · June 7, 2005

afternoon light ??? nice shots and was that last one a ---butt shot

ginger_55 · June 7, 2005

Thanks, Jeff, yes I would guess that is a bird butt. There is something interesting to me re that bird's backside. Towards the bottom, the feathers are in such a way that it looks like there is a small shadow of a heron.

Do you see what I mean?

Also, I over saturated those photos, or something. Just wanted to mention it, every time I look I think, I should do these over again. Yet I do have others I would prefer to get to, if I were to do anything.

ginger

Steve Cavigliano · June 7, 2005

ginger_55 wrote:

Thanks, Jeff, yes I would guess that is a bird butt. There is something interesting to me re that bird's backside. Towards the bottom, the feathers are in such a way that it looks like there is a small shadow of a heron.

Do you see what I mean?

Also, I over saturated those photos, or something. Just wanted to mention it, every time I look I think, I should do these over again. Yet I do have others I would prefer to get to, if I were to do anything.

ginger

I like them Ginger

I agree, that you may have gone a bit overboard with the color. In the first one, the GBH's neck and face look too yellow and green. Maybe it was due to the lighting, but I don't see it in your portrait orientation shot

Also, the shadow he is casting makes me believe that it was shot around mid-day, when there wouldn't be any "yellow" light.

Please take this with a grain of salt. I have been noticing something similar in your recent shots. The flora is supposed to be lush, but the images seem almost too green to me. Have you been "amping" up the green sat on these?
There's nothing wrong with it, if you have. It does look good

It gives those shots a sort of a Hidden Garden/Emerald Forest look

: But, as with anything else, moderation is the key, IMHO.

I have to let you know, that even though I have been too busy to comment, I have viewed most of your other threads, and I really like the results you've gotten

Maybe all the plants, where you live, really are that green and I'm full of poop too

It's entirely possible....lol

Steve

S.Whalen · June 7, 2005

Great Shots!

here is one of mine that i took a few weeks back..
Scott

ginger_55 · June 7, 2005

Good shot, Scott. It looks about the color mine start out before I clobber them with many ways to saturate.

Steve, yes, in most cases the green is heavily saturated. I do like it, actually, I play with what I want to have appear fwd, what I want darker, etc. I accidentally discovered that I liked this, but I am doing it when I shouldn't.

I underexpose to get the egret white, to make sure that I don't blow it before it gets in the computer. Then I was not getting shots I liked, not until I accidentaly discovered, and this has worked well for me, to shoot as the sun is going down, it is very intense on the egrets. I have to expose for them. -2/3 is really not enough and I often go to minus one. That takes the green, it is green, pretty dark, to very dark. When I was trying to balance the two neither looked good. Then I discovered, accidentally, in RAW that if I let the dark background go very dark, the feathers stood out, everything looked good including the dark folliage.

It was a bit different over here, but the same basic situation. My fear was what would happen when/if they are printed: in the green areas, the egrets would be fine.

It is an effect I work for now.

However the basics have to be there, that is what I discovered in the last day, or so, not to push it. I put some on a challenge thread. For some reason I felt less pressure to give it my signature dreaminess. If the shot does not have it inherently, I have learned it is a mistake to push for it. Just learned that in overnight and this AM, quite literally.

I will post what I have put up there. One I really like that has had very little post, but it is quite dark, it is about ..............i don't know what time, after 6, before 8.

I got to the gardens earlier than usual, so I ran into that guy in the rd it was not mid day, depending on the definition. It had to have been at least 4 PM, because I had a dr appt, etc, had to get there, had to walk to where he was, talked to a guy on the way, I just could not have seen that bird til 4 or later.

I try to get to the gardens, not go to that area, but I try to get there before they close at 5:30, even earlier, to beat the traffic, but go right to the rookery usually. I really beat myself up yesterday. I will not do that any time soon, but it was after 4.

later, g

thanks for stopping and commenting. If the shot warrants it, it is basically how I treat a shot exposed for the egret not the background. One, or both, become underexposed, and I let it go. I like the effect. So I won't stop. Also, I don't feel a need to do separate things in RAW, I want the background dark. And after summer, I won't have that luxury. I look at my older shots and no way would I get that lush green. I mean the ones from late fall and winter.

Thanks for following and don't worry if you can't comment:cry , I understand. I have missed a lot of commenting myself. We just can't keep up, but I appreciate your interest.