Green Heron (Butorides Virescens)

Green Heron (Butorides Virescens), Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Ridgefield, Washington, USA

I stumbled upon this Heron in a place where I could photograph from my car without bothering him. I spent the better part of an hour photographing him as he looked for food and meandered around. It was a very awesome experience.

Specific Feedback Requested

Any feedback appreciated.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Canon EOS 7D, EF 500mm f/4, 1/800 sec @ f/4, ISO 400. This is a full image, no cropping…Processed in Adobe Raw.

Hi David
This Green Heron must be very comfortable with cars, for you to get a full frame shot, at this low angle. The soft sun light helped to keep the overall exposure in balance. Nice head turn and eye contact help to keep framing well balances.
Peter

What a cool looking bird! He/she has given you a wonderful, over-the-shoulder pose. The habitat is nice and the little foreground plants are very appealing.

I wonder if there could be another version with reduced contrast of the OOF background. There’s a couple of brighter leaves that maybe toned down?

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Oh you guys with greenies are killing me! They are so shy where I am that I can’t get near one. I like the environment, but think it could be a little less saturated since the bird is the star. The face looks a tad soft, but oh, what a gorgeous creature.

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I like the setting and the contrast between the bird and its habitat. Excellent contrast here. And I like the pose.