Marc has been giving my some tips on shooting Herons. Was able to try them out today so here is the latest. [Marc / EV 0 / AV Mode / F 4 1/320 sec / ISO 250 on both pictures] I found my sharpness in the past hasn't been too bad but the clarity was off. In these two there seems to be a better balance. Comments are welcome. JIM

[sawtooth235]

Jimbo,

Love the bubbles in the water in image #1.

Look pretty damn good to me.

Ray

[Jimbo]

Jimbo,

Love the bubbles in the water in image #1.

Look pretty damn good to me.

Ray

Thanks Ray. He had just tipped his head in the water which caused the bubbles. JIM

[Hannican]

These look excellent! What was the trick?

[Jimbo]

These look excellent! What was the trick?

Better lighting.. AV mode, Steady shutter squeeze, [should have had my tri-pod] There are so many slight changes that seem to make a hugh difference. I have taken 100's of Heron shot this year already and always seem to get close to a great shot but miss the mark. Cheers JIM

[dadipentak]

Very nice. Can you help me understand the difference between sharpness and clarity?

[Heinrich Lohmann]

Two very nice shots Jim, it's not easy to separate them from the background in grass like that.

[stevebrot]

Two very nice shots Jim, it's not easy to separate them from the background in grass like that.

The grass has been my main problem both with herons and bitterns. The bird often enough looks fine, but the grass as a background looks crummy.

Steve

[axl]

can you pass some of those tips Jim?
We have quite a few herons in Regent's park and since it's gettin nice and warm I'm feeling the urge to take my K400 for a "hunt"...

BTW those shots look good to me, good effort

BR

[daacon]

Very good. I like #2 , the heron is tack sharp. I also like the bubles in #1 , but the grass is a little distracting around his head. Super job Jim.

[Jimbo]

Very nice. Can you help me understand the difference between sharpness and clarity?

I will try my best. I have a lot of so called shape images but at times they lack defination where there is depth to the picture. In the case it would be the Heron's feathers. don't know if that makes sense or not? I am still not all the way there yet to make the picture truely stand out. Hopefully I am getting closer! Thank you for looking and commenting. JIM

Two very nice shots Jim, it's not easy to separate them from the background in grass like that.

I agree Henrich on the background. I just need to find a Heron not stuck in the grass! Thank you. JIM

The grass has been my main problem both with herons and bitterns. The bird often enough looks fine, but the grass as a background looks crummy.

Steve

Not disagreeing at all. Thanks for you input! JIM

can you pass some of those tips Jim?
We have quite a few herons in Regent's park and since it's gettin nice and warm I'm feeling the urge to take my K400 for a "hunt"...

BTW those shots look good to me, good effort

BR

Thanks bud! I am not there yet but will let you know when I am and I can share my thoughts better. work in progress. JIM

Very good. I like #2 , the heron is tack sharp. I also like the bubles in #1 , but the grass is a little distracting around his head. Super job Jim.
04-04-2009 03:32 PM

I am taking shears with me next time Dave. JIM

[reeftool]

Nice Heron shots. Things are thawing finally so I will be able to get out soon and hopefully get some Heron shots around here. In my experience they aren't easy birds to get close to and I have had them fly off as soon as they see me which more often than not it was before I saw them.

[Jimbo]

Nice Heron shots. Things are thawing finally so I will be able to get out soon and hopefully get some Heron shots around here. In my experience they aren't easy birds to get close to and I have had them fly off as soon as they see me which more often than not it was before I saw them.

So true! The Heron's don't like to see you any closer then 50 feet. I have shot some 10-12 feet away this year. It took a lot of time to set up for the shot. JIM