Out of penultimate frustration comes a photo I'm pretty happy with. This heron is a permanent resident of Bargain Bay and every time I visit, I try to get a shot of him. I had spent the previous day sitting on that very dock, freezing my fingers and other miscellaneous body parts trying to capture this bloody bird on film. He spent a lot of flitting about in far-off trees, refusing to come out despite my best efforts to blend into the surroundings. Early the next morning, I stumbled bleary-eyed to the window and saw the heron fishing off the dock. I watched him for quite some time, bouncing between admiration at his gracefulness and disgust because he was so obviously taunting me. :p Eventually, it occurred to me to grab my camera, because this was as good as it was going to get. So yes, it would have been nice to get a wonderous close-up, but I was already at the end of my zoom here (the house is quite a way up from the dock . . . good thing the windows were clean!). Yes, the water was really that still - yay high tide! I tried toning and black and white with this pic, but I feel the original has a certain je ne sais quois. As always, critiques are warmly welcomed. And to those of you still reading: Happy New Year!
Thanks Luke. :) The more I look at this image, the more I like it. In fact, I think it's one of my favourites from 2003. Good thing I wasn't too ticked off to take it!
You know what, Becky. I like that the heron is so distant. It is an elusive bird that remains aloof. I mean, it is not a pigeon or a gull. So the bird sits at the end of the dock, down through your house and a yard, I presume and then the gangplank. This is a splendid image and sometimes when we struggle to make the image something that it is not or can not be, we muddle it up. This is the right image for the right time. Perhaps this bird will somehow know now that you mean it no harm. At least this heron has not become an albatross for you. This has color, DOF, tension and great lines.
Hi Becky - Happy new year to you, too! I'm playing catch-up after a while of being 'out of the loop' so I just saw this shot. Thanks for all your recent comments! Despite the other strong elements in the photo, my eye went to the heron right away - of course it helps that the walkway leads the eye right to him :) I agree that the verticals are kind of 'heavy' here, but I kind of like the way it looks - as though the floating dock were suspended by the poles at top and the walkway at the bottom. The water is remarkable in that it's so very featureless, which just reinforces that 'hanging in the void' feeling. I like the way the heron is peering over the edge with that aloof stance, wondering what to do next (or how to foil you yet again! ;)
Such calmness and peacefulness can be found in this image. I don't think I've ever seen the ocean be so still! I agree that the bird isn't lost in the image, but rather an element to the image that you don't see at first, but it's a joy when you do find it. Standing still on the edge of the dock, searching for fish? I find the verticals in this image a bit too overpowering though. Knowing the window structure at your uncle's place I know that not much could be done to change the lines of the dock and the poles from running in a straight line to each other. If they could have been offset so that some negative space between the two could be seen I think it would make the image more balanced. Great exposure.. there is detail in every part of this image with the whites not blown out and the browns deep but with detail. Happy new year to you too and here's to a year of more great photos!
I think this is a fun photo, especially given the background you provided :-) It struck me first as an exercise in geometry with its many vertical lines, nicely contrasted by the boards going horizontally on the dock. Then I find the bird, one of the few elements not perfectly aligned with the frame of the image, yet its legs are an extension of the vertical format. It is cooperating with you but on its own terms... Another somewhat ironic aspect of the photo is that it is a bird-eye view of the scene. The perfectly still water enhances the graphical feel of the image and that works in your favor IMO. The only thing I'm wishing was different are the dock supports that cut the scene in two distinct parts - you must have a very significant tide there...
Becky, I do know your frustration with getting these birds on film. I too have lost many a countless hours trying to get a shot of one. I have some in my portfolio and, as I said, it took me quite a while to photography him. I applaud you perseverance. This, by the way, is a very good photo. I just love the stillness of the water. The bird, though small, doesn't get lost in the picture, good job. Best Regards, Jim Gamble
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{K:12164} 1/1/2004