POTM 9/22/08 Great Blue Heron

[Computer Gremlin]

POTM entry for the color blue, a great blue heron hunting fish and frogs at dusk. By standing still the distortion of light at the waters edge becomes manageable and the heron's prey unwittingly gets eaten as it nears the surface of the pond. The original TIFF image is far sharper and all the feathers are life-like, unfortunately it is also 23.3 MB in size and only good for posters. Taken with Canon 40D, 100-400L wrapped in camouflage tape on a tripod and RF remote trigger.

Shot information: 320mm, F/8 @ ISO 100, .6 second shutter, shade white balance with -.5 exposure adjust.

[akpoly]

i think it needs more "blue"... its a technically good picture. i just don't think it fits the theme well.

[ssR]

Originally Posted by akpoly

i think it needs more "blue"... its a technically good picture. i just don't think it fits the theme well.

+1

[Computer Gremlin]

The heron is in migration plumage and the color is faithful to what the bird looks like in nature. I could change the RGB curve on the picture so that the bird has a striking blue color but that is not what nature intended unless it took a bath in blue dye. Few birds use the color blue this time of year all the painted and indigo buntings are in South America so the largest blue colored bird in North America right now is the great blue heron. Another factor is the low light at dusk and if I increased the contrast the dark background would no longer isolate the bird in the photograph.

Color brightness is relative to the object being photographed. It is difficult to photograph very shy solitary herons as there not tied down by a nest or young and fly off at the slightest sign of danger. Setting up a tripod with a camera close enough to just get their photograph is nearly impossible and this one is totally unaware of my camera lens. While other locations favor bright bluish hues a heron; while less conspicuous, is still blue in color. I try to capture authentic pictures of birds in nature as they would appear to the human eye even if it is somewhat underwhelming to the casual observer.

[OleJ]

I have to ask if the bird has it's name from the color (as one would obviously think)? To me it looks a lot more gray than blue. Is it because of the time of year perhaps that it is gray? Is the bird more blue when younger/older?

If I had known the bird beforehand the recognition would have made me think of the connection with blue but otherwise than that I'm seeing a nice picture of a gray bird.

Could you as a side note try uploading one that you don't crop as tight vertically?

[Computer Gremlin]

Changed the plumage color to show what it would look like while in breeding season, added contrast and cropped less tightly.

[akpoly]

Originally Posted by Computer Gremlin

The heron is in migration plumage and the color is faithful to what the bird looks like in nature. I could change the RGB curve on the picture so that the bird has a striking blue color but that is not what nature intended unless it took a bath in blue dye. Few birds use the color blue this time of year all the painted and indigo buntings are in South America so the largest blue colored bird in North America right now is the great blue heron. Another factor is the low light at dusk and if I increased the contrast the dark background would no longer isolate the bird in the photograph.

Color brightness is relative to the object being photographed. It is difficult to photograph very shy solitary herons as there not tied down by a nest or young and fly off at the slightest sign of danger. Setting up a tripod with a camera close enough to just get their photograph is nearly impossible and this one is totally unaware of my camera lens. While other locations favor bright bluish hues a heron; while less conspicuous, is still blue in color. I try to capture authentic pictures of birds in nature as they would appear to the human eye even if it is somewhat underwhelming to the casual observer.

I understand where you're coming from. I am just saying a different subject would be better to fit the blue theme. Blue jays could be a possible subject.

There is no emotional "blue" in the photo to be expressed, so it would have to be color related.

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

C'mon guys its called a BLUE heron, therefore imo, it fits the theme regardless of what colour it actually is. When somebody is said to be feeling 'blue' they dont actually turn blue do they? So that makes that interpretation of theme more tenuous and subjective than this one.

Computer Gremlin that is lovely capture of a bird in its natural environment and i think you should leave it as nature intended

[Computer Gremlin]

Thank you everyone for the criticisms and honest advice about my picture. The modified picture above will be replacing the tightly cropped and dull stale-blue original. Great blue herons get their name from their large size and blue feathers during the breeding season. They have a wing span of 4 1/2 feet (130 cm), stand about 3 to 4 feet tall and weigh 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) as adults.

[akpoly]

Originally Posted by Da_Rude_Baboon

C'mon guys its called a BLUE heron, therefore imo, it fits the theme regardless of what colour it actually is. When somebody is said to be feeling 'blue' they dont actually turn blue do they? So that makes that interpretation of theme more tenuous and subjective than this one.

As well, I am just stating my opinion. I just don't find a relation to blue in anything other than name. And no, a person does not turn blue but you can feel their "blues" in the picture.

And I'm just giving him a critique. Its not a personal attack, its just what I feel about the picture that needs improvement. In the design community we get critiqued every day, but we take it in, apply what needs to be applied, and walk away grateful for any helpful advice. I don't mean to be bashing the fellow, sorry if you took it that way, but you can't just say "Nice picture!" and be done with it if you want people to improve. If my photos suck, I'd like people to tell me what's wrong with it.