Oh boy what a cool moment to have been present for. Great lighting and interaction between parent and kids. I loved watching Heron rookeries when I lived in NH. Haven’t found one since I moved. Hope you can go back for more as this one isn’t as sharp as it could be. Possibly it’s the big crop, but more likely it’s just a miss. Do you have others? I find that a lot of my long distance work is finicky when it comes to focus. Just recently with an eagle, the bits I thought were going to be sharp because they were highlighted by the focus peaking function, just flat weren’t. Some were, but not all and it bums me out. Were you on a tripod for this? Mine were handheld in a kayak, so maybe that affected things for me.
Great shot with great lighting. Not sure why a bigger lens would help. I liked the amount of foliage and the nest really gives me a sense of the environment that the rookeries are in.
I wouldn’t’t crop any more.
“OK. Listen up, kids. Your squawking for food is disturbing the neighbors, and frankly, it’s beginning to make me a little crazy. So, if you promise to please tone it down, I’ll reward you with some juicy fish.”
Great image in wonderful light. It tells a sweet story. Nicely done !
-P
Great moment you caught Mathieu. Tells a great story with the chicks at full attention on the adult. The backlighting adds an interesting element. The image is a tad soft to my eye. Just wondering if that is from the large crop. Nice frame.
Thank you for your kind words and taking the time to look it over.
When I get time, I will open up and see about tweaking a bit of light off the nests. I think you are right.
When editing my main focus was just getting the frame and crop right.
This photo was taken from about 100 yards away on a windy steep embankment. It is a bit soft, and I wish I had a bit more reach. Cuz I cannot crop anymore… LOL!
Kristen Thank you for taking time to critique my pic.
Yes, I was on a tripod, but wind was a bit gusty at times and about 100 yards away on a steep embankment. made it a bit challenging.
This was the sharpest of the bunch. (15 shots)
The Good news is this nesting site has been in this same spot for a couple years now. Hoping to get some other pic’s next spring, as it is only a couple miles down the road from me.
What a fabulous nature image and nature story. I’ve seen and photographed Great blues, but never seen or experienced a rookery. This is such a fantastic image. The caption alone says it all - and thanks @Preston_Birdwell , for the narration… Seriously, the chicks are so attentive.
I suppose every bird photographer wants an 800!, but you did spectacularly with what equipment you used to capture this.
No nits or suggestions. Such a fantastic nature image.
Very good image, Matthieu. The back lighting is awesome and I love the composition. I might be tempted to back off on the brightness of the nest. Though it may have been that bright, it looks odd to me that it would be so bright lit from the back. Other than that, I really like this.
Seriously, the chicks are so attentive.