Heron Portrait
Taken at Lake Erie, in Marblehead, Ohio. Used my 70-200mm F2.8L, on an 80D.
Taken at Lake Erie, in Marblehead, Ohio. Used my 70-200mm F2.8L, on an 80D.
Read less
Read less
Aug, 2017Views
692
Likes
Awards
Peer Choice Award
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Genius
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I was at the Dempsey access point on Lake Erie, Marblehead, Ohio.Time
It was early, but not quite early morning. I was in town to get a sunrise shot of the famous Lighthouse at Marblehead, which I actually missed out on! I had to drive for over an hour, and I was about 15 minutes too late to catch the sun cresting the horizon. In any case, I still took a few shots anyway, then headed to Dempsey. By the time I shot the heron it was about 9AM.Lighting
When I took this shot I wasn't very learned in the art of lighting wildlife. I have since learned the concept of fill light and catch lights; the idea that using a flash can make a huge difference in the end result, even in bright sunlight. It's not absolutely required, but it's not a bad idea either, as it can fill in shadows created by the harsh sunlight and adds that little glimmer in their eyes that makes them pop. In this case I was lucky the Heron's position was favorable to the sun, since I didn't have a flash on me, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't have thought to use it, LOL!Equipment
This shot was taken with my then recently acquired Canon 80D and 70-200mm F2.8 lens, the one without IS. I had jsut upgraded from a Rebel T3i that I used for years, and both the 80D and the lens were my first really expensive purchases for photography. I kind of knew it was time to trade up, since I was trying to shoot more sports and wildlife and was missing too many shots. The T3i was fine for me when all I was shooting was product shots for eBay and landscapes, but it lacks the chops to do sports and wildlife.Inspiration
Well, opportunity came knocking! I wasn't really looking for heron that day, really I was looking for fisherman. I was walking along the walkway that went around the boat launch area, and there I spotted some gulls. One was sitting on a post and I was trying to sneak up on him to get a close up. That is when I saw big blue wings diving out of the sky towards the water. By sheer luck alone it buzzed the water about 70-80 feet from my position and then landed about 100 feet away. I had the camera in Av at F2.8, servo focus, and continuous shooting mode. It was about as perfect as it could get. I switched to one shot as it sat on the rocks to get better composition and walked towards the bird. I made slow movements, snapping as many shots as I could get until it flew off and hid in a tree.Editing
Yes, I did some light edits in Lightroom. From what I recall it was mostly just adjustments to the basic tab; WB, exposure, highlights, shadows, you know the drill. Nothing big, as most the time I want to "keep it real" so to say (though sometimes it's fun to play with the artsy side of it too). Oh, I also used the brush tool for the first time ever to pull some detail from the shadows in the feathers on the side facing away from the sun. Warning to all, the brush tool is the crack of LR! You will get addicted! LOL In any case, with a shot like this in the harsh light I was in, there was bound to be some harsh shadows the camera would pick up. Light is never even in a photo due to the way the camera sees light, and in harsh light that is even more obvious. A little tweaking in LR can go a long way to making the photo look more like how it did in real life.In my camera bag
Wow, that is a loaded question! Since I am always out on the go, it's hard to know what I am going the be shooting on a given day. So I kind of come loaded for everything. I have almost all Canon gear: Two 80D bodies, one with the 70-200mm F2.8 and the other with the 17-55mm F2.8 to cover most the basics. I shoot at least 70% of my shots with that setup and can quickly grab one or the other based on current need. I also have the 10-18mm IS STM handy for my wide shots, like landscapes and large equipment. I always keep a macro lens handy too, and go back and forth between the Canon 60mm F2.8 and the Sigma 105mm F2.8, which has a very interesting color profile (I find I often have to turn the vibrance down a touch with it, its so colorful). Not only can they get those tiny details, but they are great portrait lenses as well. I like to keep the 24mm F2.8 pancake handy as my flower lens, as it has that crazy close min focus! There also is always a set of extension tubes from Kenko in there, as well as the 1.4x Telephoto extender from Canon. Also, 2 Flashpoint Li-ion speedlights, a flashbender, some polarizing filters, a shoulder strap, spare batteries and charger, extra memcards, spare lens caps, and a water bottle. I sometimes have a tripod strapped on the bag too, a Vanguard 263 AT with pan head, but I only have it if I am doing landscapes mostly. All this fits into my Lowepro 450 AW backpack, the most beastly backpack ever! I also always have my 400mm F5.6 in the trunk of the car, just in case. I know, it's ridiculous, LOL!Feedback
For wildlife you really have to get to know the animals you want to photograph. It's tedious most the time; you have to return to the same places again and again and see if you can discover their patterns. It's not unlike hunting really. In this case I got lucky with this heron shot, but I most certainly want to try to get some more shots of these beautiful birds. This one shot got me interested, and I have learned several new things since then. Things like how to pan so that if I get the chance to shoot one buzzing the water again I can blur the motion instead of freezing it. That you don't have to shoot wide open, in fact stopping down to increase DOF will also increase sharpness as well as reduce vignetting. To keep a flash handy to get the catch light in the eye and fill in harsh shadows. To set up back button focus so that you don't miss the shot switching from servo to one shot focus to get better composition. To be patient, as you can easily spook an animal and cause it to run or fly away. I would also say to avoid gear acquisition syndrome, or you will jsut end up with a ridiculous amount of gear strapped to your back most of the time, like me! LOL Thankfully I am a pretty big guy, and can handle it.
