Black-crowned Night-Heron 278
Whenever I find a cooperative subject like this patient night heron I try to spend as much time as I can with it to see what might happen and to try some variations.
The top image was taken at 7:15:33 AM, with an ISO of 200, 1/40th second at f/13 and an exposure bias of +2/3 using my matrix meter in the D200.
Black-crowned Night-Heron 284
The second image was taken at 7:20:52, a little over 5 minutes later. ISO 200, 1/80th at f/8, +1 exposure bias. In that short time the heron has shifted position slightly, but more importantly the light has changed dramatically.
Both have essentially the same composition, with the subject (heron) place far to the right, lots of space on the left (where the heron is facing), and I’ve used the branches of the tamarisk to fill the bottom of the “empty” space. In both the background is sky reflected from the water behind, although many viewers assume it is the sky itself. In terms of style, the heron is less than half of the frame and the colors verge on understated monochrome.
I like both images, but think the second image is a big stronger and has more viewer appeal. The first image has a darker mood, with the emphasis on the face where the light falls. The second image is more open in feel, and has more of a three dimensional aspect from the light on the branches and on the feathers of the breast.
I could easily have walked away from this bird after the first shot and been happy, but hanging around a bit longer gave me an image I like even more.
