Motif: Harsh Reality - BCNH

Posted by Bill Whala on Thu Nov 20, 2003 8:27 pm

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Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

This was taken last August when I was going through an extremely dry spell with my photography. Sheri and I went to Belmar just to see if there was anything to photograph. There were some Snowy Egrets but they were too far away to get anything good.

I went to the truck to get something, I don't remember what, and on the way back I spotted this BCNH. I watched him for a few minutes and thought he seemed very friendly so when I got back to where Sheri was waiting for me I told her about it. She went and worked with him while I waited, in vain, for the Snowys to cooperate.

I gave up on the Snowys and decided to go see what opportunities existed with the BCNH. When I got back to him is when I noticed his left eye was put out.

This bird put my entire photographic dilemma before me:
1. Sometimes it is either feast or feathers in nature photography
2. Sometimes your vision is restricted
3. Reality is sometimes harsh

Thanks for reading.

EOS-1V, 600/4, Tripod
Provia 100, Manual exposure - metered off the blue sky -1/3, f8, SS 1/320

Comments and critiques are always welcome. Thanks for looking.

Bill Whala

"Aves of similar plumage tend to converge with one another"

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by Sandy Mossberg on Thu Nov 20, 2003 8:44 pm

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Interesting thoughts, Bill. Image well done with low angle, good framing and excellent feather details.

Sandy Mossberg
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by AlexC on Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:43 pm

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A life for the brave and daring!!, With one eye only he is not only limited to part of his normal field of view but also his sense of depth, now imagine how well you must adapt to fly and land without being able to judge how far things are,let alone hunting; stereoscopic vision only provides this element to sight!! Congrats!!!

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"At the feast of ego everyone leaves hungry." - Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea, Tucson, AZ

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by Jim Urbach on Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:22 pm

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Bill,

Despite his problems, he does not look undernourished. He's a survivor despite all. Technically this is a real good low angle.

Jim

Enjoy viewing

Jim Urbach

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by Alan Murphy on Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:55 pm

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Bill, other that the eye, or no eye, this is a nice shot. Great detail and low angle. I like how the little feather in the LL balances the photo.

Alan Murphy
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by Carol Clarke on Fri Nov 21, 2003 4:16 am

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Ditto exactly what Sandy said!!

Nature has so many facets Bill and its important to record them all - not just the pretty ones!

Excellent commentary with this shot.

Carol Clarke
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the world will know peace"....Jimi Hendrix.

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by Wayne Ellis on Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:25 am

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Hi Bill,

Nature is real, sometimes we humans don't deal with that reality to well. Thanks for sharing m8t.

Comments and reposts welcome

Wayne Ellis

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by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 21, 2003 9:19 am

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Despite the missing eye, he seems to be getting along well and looks well fed - he has adapted well to his circumstances. Nice shot!

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by Paul Skoczylas on Fri Nov 21, 2003 11:15 am

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AlexC wrote:With one eye only he is not only limited to part of his normal field of view but also his sense of depth, now imagine how well you must adapt to fly and land without being able to judge how far things are,let alone hunting; stereoscopic vision only provides this element to sight!!

While stereoscopic vision is the prime method of sensing depth, there are other methods. For example, sitting at your computer, move your head side to side. See the difference in how your monitor appears to "move" relative to the wall behind it?

-Paul

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by Bruce DiVaccaro on Fri Nov 21, 2003 1:14 pm

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Bill,

Unfortunate indeed, but a very nice image. The image is exposed very well with lots of nice detail.

Bruce DiVaccaro
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by LHays on Fri Nov 21, 2003 4:00 pm

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Bill
As others have said....sometimes we don't always see the perfect side. It's a good image to remind us of the hardships that the birds face....and their success in adaptability. For me....it's a good reminder. Well done.

Lana Hays
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