Fish On!

I’ve been an NPN member nearly two years, but this is just my second post and my first in the critiques area. I’m interested in the process so thought I’d give it a try.

In early May, I was walking across a meadow I frequent and noticed a great blue heron standing in the shallow waters. Over the next couple of weekends, I made sunrise visits to photograph whatever activity I might witness. I like this image because of the reflection and the ambient light making the bird brighter than the background grasses, which were in shadow. Plus, the bird has a snack in its bill. Not long after this exposure, both the light and the small trout were history.

Anyway, I welcome and look forward to any feedback folks would care to share. The gear used was a Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-500 at 480mm, f/5.6, 1/640, ISO 400. It’s a single exposure with a subtle crop and processing to taste in Lightroom Classic.

Hi Bill, something must have happened as I can’t see the image directly in the post. I did view it in the link. Very nice behavioral capture - I love feeding shots like this. I like seeing the eye of the bird and fish. I also like the habitat shown here with the grass in back. I wish the bird wasn’t facing slightly away from us. I also might try toning down the bright areas of the image some. Nice frame.

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First off, welcome, Bill!

I enjoy the image, too, especially being able to see the fish in full. I think the feather on the bird’s head is a little hot and I think I’d like it more if there is a little bit of feather details there.

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I’m sorry you’re having trouble posting an image, please take a look at this post: How to post a photo

You can still edit your original post by clicking on the pencil icon at the bottom of your post and add the photo.

If you still have problems please send me a message and I would be happy to help.

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I fixed up the image for you. Welcome to NPN Bill!

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Thank you, David and Keith for your assistance with embedding the photo in the post.

Thank you, Allen, for having a look and sharing your critique.

Thank you, Adhika, for taking the time to review the photo and share your critique.

Hi Bill
Nice action and framing. If you bring down the exposure on the Heron, I think the detail in its’ feathers will show up nicely. Please keep posting.
Peter

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Nice shot Bill. I particularly like that both the heron eye and the fish are in sharp focus. As well there is lots of detail in the heron. As mentioned things seem a bit bright. One thing I sometimes do is lower the exposure setting in LR and then do a selection of the areas I would like to brighten up a bit. It is pretty neat that you were able to get both the fish eye and heron eye! Well done.

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First of all, welcome Bill. It can be a little bit intimidating at first so glad you took the leap. If you have any room at the bottom and the left side of the image I think it might benefit from a little more room. Plus, I want to see what’s happening with the legs and the reflection down there. Catching the eye of the bird and its prey is awesome. So are the water drops coming off the fish. Great first post and looking forward to some more of your images Bill!

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Thank you for viewing and commenting, Peter.

Excellent detail on the heron and fish. The depth of field really makes the bird pop nicely. On my calibrated monitor, I am seeing a vague bluish cast to the water. An easy fix.