Fierce look
This is a black crowned night heron that takes up residence at the local park. He was fishing along the shoreline that day for crayfish....
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This is a black crowned night heron that takes up residence at the local park. He was fishing along the shoreline that day for crayfish.
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SONY ILCE-7M3
Aperture f/8 ISO 800 Shutter 1/640 Focal Length 4000/10 
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
May, 2020Views
273
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Spring 21 Award
Summer 2020
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
In a city park near my home in Las Vegas, NV, USA. This park with a small lake is an oasis for birds in the middle of the desert, and it was my oasis during the COVID lockdown.Time
Late afternoon. As the light was beginning to soften for the day, I roamed the park with my new zoom lens for practice.Lighting
The desert sun is quite harsh during the day, especially bouncing off of a lake, so I always go near sunrise or sunset if I want to photograph wildlife here. I was lucky the bird was facing the sun for good lighting on his face.Equipment
Sony A7iii. Sony 200-600 zoom lens. Hand held. Natural light. I had just acquired the zoom lens, and this is one of my first shots with it.Inspiration
This is a black-crowned night heron, and he is a resident at the local park. I had never seen this species before, and I found him to be gorgeous. Usually, he hangs out along the shore but across the lake outside of camera range. This day, I first saw him on a low hanging branch over the water and then flew to shore within a few yards of me to fish in the shallows. I was fascinated by his patience and ability to stand perfectly still while waiting for the right moment to strike.Editing
I chose to do selective color editing as an exercise in a class I was taking. This is his true eye color, so I thought it would be a nice contrast to the black and white image.In my camera bag
Sony camera body, tripod, Tamron 17-28 lens, Sony 200-600 lens, filters (polarizing, ND, graduated), extra batteries and memory cardsFeedback
Patience can be rewarded!!! I spent about 45 minutes with him as he fished...first in a low hanging branch over the water and then along the shore. Along the shore, he stood still as a statue while waiting to strike. I witnessed him grabbing two crayfish for an afternoon meal.
