Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Philips Park, Beavercreek, Ohio
"Creativity is the blue heron within us waiting to fly; through her imagination, all things become possible." - Nadia Janice Brown
If it weren't for the neck leaning forward, this beautiful bird would've really been like the beige vegetation behind it. Still obscured by the environment, herons move in slender microsteps when hunting. I barely saw this one in the rather small pond as it skulked about. Amazing is how they don't hurt their necks when spearing for in the blink of an eye. Whether they fail or suceed at the catch, they're indolently determined to try again without fail.
Settings included 375mm zoomed in, 1/1000, f/8 at ISO 200. Every lens has a sweet spot for their sharpness with the aperture, I have found my 150-600mm operates the best at about the f/8-9 range. Generally that number will be two f-stops from your widest aperture. One of my personal favorite birds, every sighting reminds of the first time I encountered one. The larger-than-songbird wingspan caught my eye as it flew down a stream. Maybe I owe all of 'this' to the great blue?
© 2018 Ryan L. Taylor Photography. All Rights Reserved.