Blue heron!

Hello forum! Please let me introduce myself. My name is Rene' and I live in Northern Japan, Niigata Prefecture. This is my first post here and you'll be seeing me often from now on, if you guys aloud me!

I am a complete amateur. I've been shooting for over 20 years now but I really got serious about photography in 2006 when I bought my first Digital SLR. I found out that I love shooting birds (photographically speaking) and I've been doing it for over a year now. I am an active member in Photo Net and this is the second forum I registered. A member posted your URL over there and I came to visit. My jaw hit the floor when I saw the kind ow work you guys do here. Please, don't expect anything like it from me but with your help I am willing to learn. I also don't have the right equipment. My longest lens is a 300 f4 and some times I use it with a 1.7x converter therefor I am force to do some cropping. I read the guidelines and I'll try to behave! Since I am not familiar with all the little details, please feel free to call on me!

Sorry! It was not my intention to write a book but this got quiet long!

About this picture I'm posting: It was taking last Thursday. This little fellow is a city boy and it seems he is used to people so he let me get close enough. It was a taken with a Nikon D300 - AF-S 300 f/4 - TC 17e II 1.7x Aperture Priority f/6.7, 1/800 sec, ISO 200

I did some cropping and sharpening. I never PS my files. What ever I post is the way I took the shot. I shoot RAW and I do everything on Nikon Capture NX2. After I convert to JPGs I use Apple Aperture 2 to export files on the web.

Thank you for your time and of curse, your advices and critiques. I am not touchy at all so feel free to find every little defect on my shots! Thanks! Rene'

Rene San,
A warm welcome to you. We are happy to have you here.

This is a lovely image. You did well in getting closer to this heron. I like the "S" shaped composition. The background is lovely. I feel it would have been better without the frame. Look forward to more postings from you.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

Very nice Rene'. Is it perhaps a Gray Heron rather than a Blue? Was it taken in Japan?

Anyway you have a nice close up head shot with good detail. This type of composition of head and neck can be a problem but I think you have a reasonable solution.

It looks a bit washed out, I think a color boost might improve it. Also I agree that the frame is not a plus, simple is better.

I like the intensity of the subject's eye, very well caught.

Welcome aboard Rene, I'm sure you will find lots to look at and learn here

Composition looks good, but agree the plumage looks washed out...or at least too light. Although you never PS your files I hope you can see that this is a powerful tool for the "modern" photographer and a great 1-2 punch combined with your favorite RAW editor. You'll have access to tools for simple jobs such as selectively darkening the lights here. Also, it looks like you were standing taller than your subject. If it is quite tolerant of your presence you could squat or kneel down to its eye level - you will find the results much more intimate and pleasing this way.

Keep them coming - looking forward to seeing more wildlife from Japan!

Welcome Rene! Very nice first post, light is nice and composition looks great, Background colour looks great as well, the bird could go a bit darker IMO. Congratulations!

Thank you guys! I am learning already! I expended many hours yesterday looking at your work. Just by looking I can see the way you guys compose your shots which is a great help plus all the advice you give each other helps to see how someone can improve his work.

Harold... You might be right! It looks gray to me but here in Japan they call it AO SAGI, where AO means blue! you guys will also have to help me with names cos there are many birds that I don't know what they are. Yes, it was taken in Kyoto (Biwako Lake). The herons where I live (Niigata) they don't let you get close at all. As soon as they see you they fly away. That's why I call this one a city boy!

Daniel... I'll be honest! One of the reasons I don't use PS is coz I don't know how to use it. I feel intimidated by it. But I am willing to learn coz I've seen so many shots here and it is amazing what you can do with it. I'll go little by little.

Thank you all for your kind words!