I walk this beach most mornings, and I often see him. On this morning the golden hour was extra golden. I guess he must be used to me, because he let me get very close.
Is this a composite: No
iPhone 11 Pro Max, f/2, 1/632 sec, 76mm
Looks like you had a nice opportunity. Even with an iPhone camera, good images can be made. That said, composition is required with a “real” camera, or an iPhone camera. The bird is facing left and there’s no environment to the left that should have precluded leaving room for the bird to walk into. Even a vertical composition could have worked here. The bird is also somewhat overpowered by the sand. A bit of work with masks on the subject and background can make a dramatic difference in the image. Here’s a different crop and a bit of balance on the subject and background.
Thank you, helpful as always!
A really good image of the bird and sand. I was going to suggest a more vertical crop removing a major chink from the right side, but Keith’s crop works well also. I like his idea of balancing the bird and background more as well, but I don’t think I’d carry it quite that far-the heron is starting to look a bit garish to my eye.
Thank you Dennis. I think I will prefer the vertical crop in the end. Will work on it in the next days and repost.
