Spotted this green heron while kayaking on a local pond. He was a bit shy and kept moving to other branches which partially shielded him, and I did wish for a less distracting background, but this was my favorite pose, from about 30’ away.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments and suggestions are welcome and thanks for viewing.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Sony RX10M4, ISO 500, f/4, 1/1250, 493mm (35mm equiv.). About a 25% crop from original, and I usually make small adjustments in the midtones and contrast to my taste.
1 Like
Jim:
This image has all the makings of a lot of potential. Great bird on a nice perch, nice habitat, nice pose.
But… something happened to the image. Looking at the larger version there is significant color noise as evidenced by the colored speckles. There is some luminance noise as well.
The background overpowers the subject both with color and luminance. I wanted to see it darker and less saturated. There is also an overall green cast to the heron, most likely caused by the green canopy.
I took a crack at trying to solve a few of these issues. The RAW file would be a MUCH better starting point.
Here’s the result.
Wow, @Keith_Bauer , that’s quite a difference and very much improved, so thank you. I’ll have to go back to the raw file and see what I can do .
Hi Jim,
Nice profile view of the heron - one of my favorite birds. Keith makes good points and his repost is an improvement for sure. I’m wondering about the noise on the bird - did you have to raise shadows a good bit resulting in the noise?
A nice pose captured which should yield a better result through post processing.
Hi @Allen_Sparks, thank you for your helpful comments. I had to check my processing and yes, I did lighten up the shadows, since he was under some foliage, and that probably increased the noise.
I love the BG and setting here, and you have a very nice pose with good sharpness and detail. You should be able to re-process with a very good result. Assuming your raw converter is LR or ACR, first do what you can with balancing Exposure, Shadows and Highlights, then have a look at Clarity, to bring back midtone contrast. Then look at white balance to tame color casts. Then bring it into PS for noise reduction (Topaz Denoise is my choice).
If LR/ACR is not your raw converter, can you tell us what you are using?
Hi @Diane_Miller, thank you for your constructive comments. I can’t say that I love the BG, but the heron wanted an exorbitant sum of fish to pose at a different location, so it is what it is 
. After seeing what Keith accomplished with the jpeg, I really need to dive into my software and learn how to use the various raw edits. I use ACDSee Photo Studio 2000, which I like because it includes file management, raw conversion, and editing all in one program, and no subscription required. Just have to make time to learn more of its features. Cheers!
Yes, much better with the proper white balance. The contrast is also improved and the bird really stands out well.
