Broken Mirror Photo

Photographer’s Note

At long last. The first sunny day since I got my new Canon EOS 300D last week. First chance to try my hand at "hitting" a few birds with the new 300mm lens. Obviously, the birds around the lake were also enjoying the weather. Quite a number of ducks were sunning themselves on the edge of the lake + this sole grey heron (Ardea Cinerea). Just as I thought the ducks had stopped messing up the water to allow me a perfect mirror shot of the heron from across the lake, this little teal (Anas Crecca) zoomed by, thus destroying part of the mirror effect to some extent.
Anyway, grey heron is a bird of about 84-102 cm, wingspan about 155-175, weight some 1600 gram. Teal is the smallest type of duck found in Europe, 34-38 cm, wingspan 53-59 cm and weight 250-350 gram. This one is a male, recognizable by his brown head.
Treatment: Crop, Contrast +10, Brightness +5, Saturation +10, Lightness +2, USM and resize.
-----
As I don't know this camera and lens very well yet, I simply cannot determine whether the head of this heron is indeed somewhat out of focus or not, or whether this is simply the best the camera can do at this distance (full 300mm, distance maybe 40 m). For those interested in seeing the head full size I've put up an unresized section here .

rdans59 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

chalcone (761) 2003-11-28 10:56

I actually like the teal's effect. It somehow created a "high-res, low-res" image (the top portion being the high resolution image of the heron). The picture is a bit busy with all the reeds surrounding the subject. Perhaps cropping more of the top and the right side of the image might soften the dominance of the reeds?

Miks (1707) 2003-11-28 10:56

Congrats on your new toy. Nice, classic composition heeding rule of thirds and beautiful danish autum colours. One thing that disturbs my eye is the fact that the reflection of the heron is kinda crammed into the frame. I could have wished for a litle more space 'beneath' his head. But this is, of course, a matter of personal taste.

fanel (276) 2003-11-28 11:03

Nice color! Good reflection (the little teal didn't do to much damage) and very good framing. The heron is a little bit out of focus. Interesting and detalied notes - as always from you. Good job!

Vagabond (5797) 2003-11-28 11:17

Gosto da composição embora pense que a garça parece ligeiramente fora de foco o que talvez seja resultado do uso de um objectiva de longo foco que torna mais dificil a focagem correcta. Um pequeno "crop" a esquerda também não seria de mais mas isto ja é uma questão de gosto pessoal. Parabens pela sua nova Canon

martin (1242) 2003-11-28 12:11

A good capture for your first use of the 300mm lens. Without the presence of the green reeds, the colours might seem unnatural; with them, there is a feeling of warmth. Perhaps cropping a bit off the top, as Michael suggests, might alleviate Miks' feeling about the need for more space 'below' the head.

Liora (1857) 2003-11-28 12:18

Good shot! Very balanced - symetric verticle and I like the green patch on the left hand side - it creates interest all over the photo.
Well seen and captured!

RobBrown (1789) 2003-11-28 14:48

Looks like it was worth the out-lay, the colours have come out really well the teal is for me nearly lost in the colours, overall it looks razor sharp. Nice one

cdewet (0) 2003-11-28 15:42

Magic colours, Bente I have similar but strugggle to scan properly, the eye keep on being soft. Hope you enjoy the new toy.

carper (66148) 2003-11-29 7:39

Hello Bennte,

Nice one. Beautiful colours. I's a classic composition but it's wel done. Indeed, perhaps you can cropping some of the top of the picture.

Jeppe (18623) 2003-11-29 15:55

Oh congratulation - also with the camera - Im driving past a little pond ever now and then and often there stands a grey heron waiting for its prey. But without a zoom theres no point in taking photos.

dominique (11414) 2003-12-07 15:39

An extraordinary photograph, the colors are strong and the perfect reflection, with a very good framing that gives a beautiful image.

quegardens (1469) 2003-12-10 21:37

Yes Bente this heron seems perfectly content to be soaking up whatever warmth it can get from a bright November day.I like how the yellowish brown tones of the bullrushes also convey that brief day of warmth along the water.Great reflection and the duck adds an interesting element...an added bonus that one only finds after taking a second look at the photo :-)

gis_kiki (49) 2003-12-12 10:41

Just one word : wonderfull.

rdans59 (263) 2004-06-08 18:01

Bente,
being a former biologist/ornithologist, I always enjoy bird and wildlife photos. I know the feeling of waiting for the perfect moment and then some other inconsiderate bird flying right in front of your lens.....
Looking at the full-size image, I guess that it is indeed slightly out of focus, but the overall image is just gorgeous.