Another that I have posted in the Avian category this year and it’s become a favorite for a couple of reasons. First that the bird came to me - flew toward and landed near me as I was paddling fast back to the boat launch. Even though I thought ‘it’s only a GBH, why bother?’, I stopped and got the camera out of the dry bag. A very patient model, but it’s the breeze fluffing up those head feathers that really makes this shot for me. Also it presented an enormous challenge to all my Photoshop skills to get this image to its final state - it involved clone stamping away distractions in the background and also fiddling with very finnicky masking to protect the bird from further background blur. Crazy, but it worked and helped me stretch and grow not only as a photographer, but as a photo editor.
Specific Feedback Requested
anything for processing or future GBH modelling sessions
Technical Details
Handheld in the kayak
Lr for RAW work then Ps for blur and cloning as outlined above.
Very nice job on this one, both taking it and processing it. The blur in the BG gives separation from the heron and I also like those blowing head features. It’s neat to learn some processing skills when working on a photo that gives you trouble. I don’t think it’s necessary, but the post sticking up in the MRE did catch my eye. Just nit picking.
I really like the low angle provided by you being in the kayak, it really adds to the profile of the GBH in my opinion.
The pose is great and the curled up head feathers top it off so to speak.
The surface foliage on the water adds a lot to the scene and the contrast between the Heron and the BG is spot on.
The edits with the cloning you mentioned are much appreciated because I know how tedious and time consuming that can be but in the end, it was well worth the time invested.
Thanks @Donna_Callais, @Merv & @linda_mellor - I try not to be too artificial when it comes to editing, but I’m not a purist either. Basically if I were a painter, would I keep it in or take it out - that’s what guides me for most things.
If you were a painter, you probably wouldn’t take the time and effort to add distracting elements, if I were a painter, I’d be broke!
I can’t paint, so I edit.
Thanks Merv & @David_Schoen - I can’t paint either, but I think I have an aesthetic, sort of. Plus it’s hard to make an image of this bird that would be bad. Too graceful for that.
