Was taking a walk near Kits beach with my K10D and Sigma 70-200/2.8 DG when a lady walking in the opposite direction told me that there was a Blue Heron nearby and that I should take pictures of it. Good coincidence that I had the Sigma on, another good thing I had with me was the 540FGZ.

All images shot at ISO 100, F4, 200mm, DNG; only ONE with flash, the other two without. Post processing in Bibble Pro and LightZone on Linux.



Note that there was some time difference between these shots, the sun was dipping rather quickly so the "tint" is slightly different.

This one is flashed with the 540FGZ -1.5 flash EV;



I like the shadow in this one:



C&C always welcome.

Cheers,
-Asad

[borno]

Very nice asad,
I really like the way the sunlight looks in the first shot, very peaceful to me.

[SCGushue]

Asad,

Top notch series. Interesting how close you were able to get without it taking flight. Light is fantastic as is the PP.

I have the lens too and have only used it once or twice in the 6 months I have had it, but it is an exceptional lens and very, very sharp as your images attest.

I personally think that Pentax has made somewhat of a mistake not making this focal length again. But, at least there are others out there filling the bill.

Again, wonderful shots. Pleasure to view them.

Stephen

[Heinrich Lohmann]

That are three gorgeous images Asad, I do believe that the flash make a difference in the second shot.

Thanks for posting them, it's a pleasure looking at them.

Take care, Heinrich

[daacon]

Great shots . Color and detail are perfect. Nice use of the flash as well.

[betsypdx]

Great shots Asad. The shadow works well for me too.

[Asad_Masede]

Very nice asad,
I really like the way the sunlight looks in the first shot, very peaceful to me.

Tom, Thanks for the comment. Yes that rich orange light is my favorite kind. Peaceful, as you said.

Cheers,
-Asad

[Asad_Masede]

Asad,

Top notch series. Interesting how close you were able to get without it taking flight. Light is fantastic as is the PP.

I have the lens too and have only used it once or twice in the 6 months I have had it, but it is an exceptional lens and very, very sharp as your images attest.

I personally think that Pentax has made somewhat of a mistake not making this focal length again. But, at least there are others out there filling the bill.

Again, wonderful shots. Pleasure to view them.

Stephen

Stephen, compliment appreciated. Yeah the bird seemed pretty comfortable, didn't take off until it got bored of the surroundings.

You should definitely use it more, it's a gem of a lens, superbly constructed and almost as sharp as a prime. Pentax did make a mistake, but who knows, they might still make one if we the users keep asking for it. I'm really interested in the upcoming Tamron variant 70-200/2.8, see how it performs compared to the Sigma.

I'm glad you enjoyed the shots!

Cheers,
-Asad

[Asad_Masede]

That are three gorgeous images Asad, I do believe that the flash make a difference in the second shot.

Thanks for posting them, it's a pleasure looking at them.

Take care, Heinrich

Thank you for the nice words, Heinrich! Yes, in fact I think I used the flash on more than just one of these shots; Bibble won't tell me much from the EXIF, and from what I now recall it was the built-in flash too.

Glad you enjoyed these images.

Cheers,
-Asad

[Asad_Masede]

Great shots . Color and detail are perfect. Nice use of the flash as well.

Thanks for the nice comment, Daacon. Perfect is a good word to read.

Cheers,
-Asad

[Asad_Masede]

Great shots Asad. The shadow works well for me too.

Betsy, thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed this little series.

Cheers,
-Asad

[LaRee]

I love the light in these images. You've done that Great Blue Heron proud. Nice work.

[Asad_Masede]

I love the light in these images. You've done that Great Blue Heron proud. Nice work.

Thank you, Sir, for your kind compliment.

Light can't get any better than the orange goodness near dusk. (IMHO, of course)

Cheers,
-Asad

[Tom Lusk]

"Thank you, Sir, for your kind compliment."

Methinks Ma'am might be more suitable?

Good sharp heron shots, Asad. My only nit would be the angles. Could you have gotten lower, more on a level with the bird?

[Asad_Masede]

"Thank you, Sir, for your kind compliment."

Methinks Ma'am might be more suitable?

Good sharp heron shots, Asad. My only nit would be the angles. Could you have gotten lower, more on a level with the bird?

Uh oh... sorry LaRee. I thought maybe "LaRee" came from "Larry".

Tom, thanks! Glad you like the images. No, it was almost impossible for me to get on the same level or even any lower than I was, just the way the setting was around the bird, not to mention that I did not want to scare it away.

Cheers,
-Asad