We came upon this Great Blue Heron, perched statuesque above a leash-free dog area. The dog walkers didn’t look up. Neither did the dogs. But my eye is always looking for the anomaly in the landscape. And there she was: a big, blue anomaly, framed by parched leaves — the last trembling breaths of summer. She eyed my lens for a few seconds, then drifted off into heron dreams. I assume herons dream . . . of heron things. The birds I’ve known do, talking in their sleep in little whimpers, while nodding off to the rustle of bird feet in twigs.
Great Blue Heron Perch - ©ingridtaylar
Great Blue Heron Dreams - ©ingridtaylar
The Photos: The sky was blown out in overcast, but I liked the isolating effect the white background had on the heron. Shot at a distance and cropped. I added a bit of contrast and sharpness to the RAW file. I’m always gratified when a bird finds my uninteresting enough to sleep or preen in my presence. I feel as though I’ve done my job right, when I can capture the image without stressing the animal into unnatural behavior.
Lovely effect!