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04/26/2005 06:26:09 PM · #1 |
My Free Study VIII entry finished in 86th place with a score of 6.131, and received 14 comments. Thank you very much voters and commenters.
That may not sound like a big deal to some, but it is for me. My Great Blue Heron was only the fifth time I have broken 6, and it's the highest I've scored with my 20D. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever crack 6 again.
A little (ok, a lot) about the shot- I saw this guy from afar while driving through Blackwater NWR. For some reason he didn't fly away as I approached. When I got a good look I could see that he was distressed by something lodged in his throat. I put my Tamron 200-500 on my 20D and decided to see how close I could get.
He would try to swallow and the object would disappear, only to reappear after a short time. He would shake his head violently from side to side to no avail. He even tried laying his head flat on the grass and draging it sideways sort of like when we try to get mud off our shoes. During this time he allowed me to get pretty close to him but when I got too close he would slowly walk away, but not fly. After what seemed like a very long time he eventually did get his throat cleared, I think by breaking the object up and swallowing it. And then he flew right past me very, very close.
 Notice a lump in his throat.
He landed about 100 yards behind me so I started to slowly move that way. I switched to my shorter but sharper Canon 300 f4 L. I saw that he was again
feeding  and swallowing 
so I figured he was ok. But he still allowed me to get much closer than herons normally do, and that's when I took the shot that became my entry. I followed him for more than half an hour and took about a hundred shots.
It's the first image I have offered for sale in DPCPrints so I would appreciate advice about my pricing from some of you who have experience selling there - too high or too low?
Great Blue Heron print
Your opinions on my shots are always welcome and appreciated. And again, THANK YOU voters.
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04/26/2005 11:56:46 PM · #2 |
Bumping for the West coast crowd.
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04/27/2005 12:01:50 AM · #3 |
| Way to go. This was a very good entry and a decent score to boot. Keep up the great work and you will exceed your expectations soon. |
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04/27/2005 12:19:08 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by coolhar:
it's the highest I've scored with my 20D. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever crack 6 again. |
I went through the same thing when I upgraged from a Oly p/s to my rebel. I finally feel comfortable with the new camera and it shows. Hope you're in the same position now with the 20!
Message edited by author 2005-04-27 00:20:28.
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04/27/2005 12:44:02 AM · #5 |
Hey Harvey, that was really a fascinating experience you had photographing that Great Blue Heron! Congrats not only on your 6-plus score, but even more so on your encounter. You've chronicled it well with your narrative and with the additional photos. I wonder what it was that was choking him so.
As for your print for sale, well I don't have any experience at that, but the price seems very reasonable to me. I hope you do well with that venture, too! |
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04/27/2005 12:49:24 AM · #6 |
| Great work! Left you a comment in the pic. |
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04/27/2005 10:21:19 AM · #7 |
Hey Harvey, this is a nice photo. Perhaps with your experience with this bird will lead to a specialization in bird photography!
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04/27/2005 03:34:02 PM · #8 |
Harvey, thanks for taking the time to post this thread - I really enjoyed reading about how you got your beautiful Heron picture. It is always nice to now the story behind the photo, I think, anyway!
All your bird pictures are really an inspiration. I voted very highly on your picture and was very surprised it didn't end up in at least the top 20. |
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04/27/2005 09:12:46 PM · #9 |
Maybe I am migrating toward bird shooting without really planning to. I thought I was just using it as an excuse to get away from the city, lol.
Thanks to all who looked and commented. Your kinds words are appreciated.
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