brianaverdi
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in late fall at a nature preserve (Mentor Lagoons) in Mentor , OhioTime
The capture was taken toward evening just about an hour before sunset. The lighting was perfect and the herons were plentiful that day.Lighting
The natural light was warm and inviting but I enhanced the color saturation a bit just to give it a color pop.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7100 with a Tamron 150-600 mm lens on a tripod to capture this image .Inspiration
Although the heron is an awkward bird it has a sort of grace about it. It is long and lanky but the wing span and its colors are spectacular. It was really impressive as it was just getting ready to take flight.Editing
I always do a bit of post process work on my photos to get the best enhancement that I can. I start out using Lightroom CC and adjust the sharpness and reduce the noise. Then I look for the best crop trying to keep the rule of thirds in mind when I do so. I do some color saturation and at times some cloning to remove any distracting eliments from the photo.In my camera bag
Normally I carry a Nikon D7100 body, several batteries, a cable release, several lenses, a 50mm f 1.4 a 24-70mmf2.8 a70-200mmf2.8 and a 150-600mm f5.6/6.3 . I also carry a tripod and some polarizing filters.Feedback
It is a good idea to be somewhat familiar with the area that you are photographing in and know the behavior of the birds that you want to photograph. Know what time of year that the birds will nest in your area and look for the most active times of day. Normally morning around day break and just before sunset. The weather also plays a part in how active the birds will be. on calmer days the herons seem to be more active. The only other bit of advice that I can leave you with is visit the site that you plan to shoot often to look for activity and most of all have patience. slow movements and no loud noises as to frighten or startle the birds. They have very keen eyesight and can spot you way before you spot them. Good luck and good captures!