Heron by the sea
A great blue heron following fisherman around hoping to get a scrap from their catch.
A great blue heron following fisherman around hoping to get a scrap from their catch.
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May, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken down on Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, AlabamaTime
This photo will always remind me to check behind me, because while I was taking wonderful pictures of the beautiful sunset this beautiful Heron was had walked up right behind me.Lighting
One key about the lighting of this image was to always check your surroundings when you are outside. Most people get so caught up taking pictures of the sunset that they forget to stop for a second and look around them. Of course the golden hours of the days are always going to give you great lighting, but the key with great lighting is having a great subject to work with.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7200 with the kit 55-200mm f/4-5.6 lens handheld. The thing thing about equipment is not that you always have the latest greatest equipment, it's knowing how to use it.Inspiration
The true beauty of nature is all around you, don't get caught up with just focusing on one subject when you are out shooting. The only reason I was able to capture this image was that I allowed myself to get out of the way.Editing
My favorite tool editing photos is simply camera raw. Most of the images I take only require me to adjust the highlights, shadows or exposure. When post processing this image it was a little under exposed since I was initially taking pictures of the sunset, to compensate for this I increased the exposure slightly and toned the highlights down a few steps. Another big key to me is not over processing photos. Don't try and add to much to a good photo because you will end up taking away more from it then anything. I think post processing is more about fine tuning photos then enhancing them.In my camera bag
I have a Nikon d7200 I carry only 2 lens most of the time. I have a standard 50mm 1.8 Nikon prime lens and a 11-20mm wide angle Tokina Lens. Those are my go to lenses. I prefer to use natural lighting, but also have a Nikon hot-shoe flash for indoor low light situations. I always carry my grey card with me for white balance, to ensure I get correct colors in my images. I have a pro master aluminum tripod with standard ball head to use for those long exposure as well.Feedback
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”- Seneca This quote is what truly defines nature photography. You can prepare all you want for a shoot, but when the opportunity is there, we as photographers need to be ready to capture it. I was laughing to myself when I was able to capture this image because I almost missed it. Sometimes, as photographers, we get so caught up in what we are doing that moment that we forget everything else that is around us. Someone once told me to always check behind you when you are taking sunset pictures because some of the best colors are behind you.If I was not paying attention I would have missed that. When taking nature pictures one of the keys is planning your shots. By planning your shoots you will gain confidence for moments like this where something unexpected happens and you take advantage of it, then you are able to jump back right into where you left off. One of the apps I use to prepare and plan my shoots is called PhotoPills, you can get it on the Apple Store or the Android store.It allows me to see where the sun will be at any location on a specific date and time in artificial reality. You can even plan out exactly where to stand to get the right angles that the sun will be rising or setting in, as well as, save and set reminders of the places you need to come back to. This tool is priceless to me in order to know if the sun will be in the correct spot. Apps like this will give you confidence in all your shots, about where stand, and what time you need to be there. I even use this tool for portraits to plan out each of my portraits to achieve the best natural lighting.
