Great Blue Heron Having Fish For Dinner
A great blue heron snags a fish and after some time swallows it whole.
A great blue heron snags a fish and after some time swallows it whole.
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Mar, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was take at the Circle B Bar Reserve, a local nature preserve in Lakeland, Florida.Time
I really enjoy the challenge of taking photos of wildlife. It is always unpredictable and with a lot of patience I find that I end up in "the right place at the right time". It was a sunny afternoon and my daughter and I decided to head out to the preserve before it closed due to the COVID-19 measures. As we walked along the trails we came across this Great Blue Heron having a meal. The late afternoon lighting really helped accent the fine details and colors.Lighting
It was a sunny afternoon and the key for me was to ensure that I had the sun at my back. With nature photography, this goes back to being in the right place at the right time.Equipment
This image was shot with a Canon 60D with a 75-300mm IS USM lens.Inspiration
As I spotted the heron eating the fish I wanted to try and capture the action.Editing
I often use a multi-step approach to image editing and processing. I first opened the image in Adobe Camera RAW and made some modest and basic adjustments before opening in Photoshop. Once in Photoshop I applied a gentle Neat Image noise reduction and then saved the image as a .PSD file. I find that by saving it as a .PSD, it appears to preserves more of the RAW data in the file. Next, I opened the image in Lightroom Classic. After choosing a preset that helped create a good starting point, I used the clarity brush to accent the fine details. I then used the dehaze brush to bring out the color in certain areas. After finishing the processing I cropped the image and exported the final photo.In my camera bag
I usually carry a Canon 60D, Canon 75-300mm lens, Canon 18-55mm lens, Canon 18-135mm lens, Sigma 10-20mm lens, cable remote.Feedback
As I mentioned above, nature photography requires a lot of patience and a good degree of trial and error. Take the time to experiment with different settings on your camera and practice manual focusing. I find that the auto focus can often be too slow to capture the true focal point. Learning to focus quickly in manual mode requires a lot of practice, but it is worth it. Always be willing to try something new and adopt the attitude that there is always something new to learn each day. In addition, listen to other's ideas and be willing to humbly share your own experiences.
