Paul Goldfinger. 3/2/22. Tropicana park. Camelia River. Ft. Myers, Fla.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Tropicana Forum
This great white heron is a frequent visitor to the Camelia River in Tropicana. He likes to fish there, and sometimes he clashes with the great blue heron who also shows up there. Today two Tropicaners saw the great white catch two fish at the same time. The blue swept down and stole the fish. The blue is bigger and usually wins these battles.
I was able to approach this bird as he fished. He moves slowly and deliberately and he was not skittish as I moved slowly along the river bank.
I got about 10 feet away when he had enough of my intrusion. He took off, and I was able to hit the shutter release twice as he flew by in front of me.
Photographically, I was ready having chosen a distance setting for focus and an exposure designed to avoid over exposure where the wings would be bright white and where there would be no details.
So I was prepared when he took off. I used a digital monochrome M camera, made by Leica. I am not a nature photographer so my longest lens is a 75 mm fast model which was used for this image. The only color feature which was missed with this black and white camera is the orange beak.
From George Held–poet:
but move too close
and it takes flight
MAX RAABE AND THE DAS PALAST ORCHESTER From a live concert in Carnegie Hall. Song by Cole Porter. (1935):
Photographically, I was ready having chosen a distance setting for focus and an exposure designed to avoid over exposure where the wings would be bright white and where there would be no details.
So I was prepared when he took off. I used a digital monochrome M camera, made by Leica. I am not a nature photographer so my longest lens is a 75 mm fast model which was used for this image. The only color feature which was missed with this black and white camera is the orange beak.
Amazing photograph.