Ruth Mayer
October 2026 - Reddish Egret
About the Image(s)
I got back from a trip to Florida about 2 weeks ago. I went to see if I could get some more pictures of ospreys. I got a few, but nothing really great. But I did get photos of a lot of other birds. This is a reddish egret. I think he is a regular at this inlet. I took my OM1 Mark II, 300mm lens, and the 1.4 converter. This is taken with just the 300mm, at f6.3, 3200sec, iso1250, handheld. I was a little limited with a prime lens, but I’m happy with the photos I got.
9 comments posted
Ruth, the Reddish Egret is my favorite bird to photograph. They put a great display of movements and flight when they are fishing. There is intention of movement with the left leg lifted. Posted: 10/03/2026 20:01:44
Thank you. I wish it was doing more. There were people catching bait fish and it was following them around. Posted: 10/11/2026 19:51:06
Nice shot. Isn't your 300mm lens on a 4:3rds camera equivalent to a full frame 600mm and with a 1.4 tc makes it a 840mm shot?
For hand held at that distance it is very sharp, especially if you cropped it. I put a soft vignette around it and did some clarity and color saturation of the bird. What do you think? Maybe I did too much? Posted: 10/06/2026 02:29:53
For hand held at that distance it is very sharp, especially if you cropped it. I put a soft vignette around it and did some clarity and color saturation of the bird. What do you think? Maybe I did too much? Posted: 10/06/2026 02:29:53
Thanks You are correct about the lens. He was a little close. I took the tc off a little later for other photos as all the birds were so close. I really didn't crop it much. I like the vignette. Posted: 10/11/2026 19:56:29
Well seen Ruth and all in focus. My suggestion will be to tone it down a bit to emphasise the colours a bit more. We have a bird in South Africa called a Goliath Heron with similar colouring. Posted: 10/06/2026 05:29:20
Thanks you
I will try toning it down a bit on some of the others I took. Posted: 10/11/2026 19:57:33
I will try toning it down a bit on some of the others I took. Posted: 10/11/2026 19:57:33
Nice capture, Ruth! Using the 300mm at f/6.3 gave you a sharp plane of focus for this heron, and a nice, soft background to offset texture in its feathers. I do agree with Doug and Gerhard's suggested edits where a few minor slider adjustments could add just a bit of color and emphasis. For your consideration, I tried making 2 small adjustments in Lightroom Classic. I started by masking "SUBJECT", then I first dehazed slightly, then lightly lowered "HIGHLIGHTS". These two minor adjustments brought out more detail in the feathers and beak. Posted: 10/11/2026 22:10:30
Lovely capture. I liked the changes that Grace made to bring out the textures in the bird. I think the birds leg being lifted up shows it is in motion and tells a story. Posted: 10/12/2026 16:37:36
Beautiful image, displays the elegance of the egret. I like Grace's edits as they bring out nicely the details. Posted: 10/18/2026 15:11:39