Aransas Denizen by auntietk
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
We saw a lot of different sorts of birds at the Aransas National Wildlife Preserve yesterday, but great blue herons seemed to be everywhere we looked. Mostly they were all too far away to get good shots, even with the long lens. This was the closest one we saw. I could show you pictures of roseate spoonbills (lovely things, and such a bright pink) and white herons and maybe an ibis or two, but you'd just have to trust me ... they're VERY small and not as clear as one might like!
Our day yesterday was more of an experience than a photo shoot, although that didn't stop us from trying! Many thanks to Lucinda (myrrhluz) for turning us on to this area. What a great place!
We'll be "off the grid" for the next 30 hours or so. Our campsite for tonight has no electricity. We'll still be here at Goose Island, but in a primitive spot rather than one with full hookups. See you in a couple of days! :)
Oh btw, we've added to the blog after a long silence if you're interested in following along. We're not looking for views or comments, it's just a way for friends and family to see what we've been up to.
Photoblog Here

Comments (22)
This is a view I'm familiar with: a vaguely bird-shaped bluish back with backlighting. They excel at this look! But yes, it is the experience more than the photography sometimes, and that is beyond value. Well captured!
How very beautiful it looks against those shimmering reeds.
Beautiful picture!
Love that violet colored bird against the brown/orange. Such a beautiful shot.
A lovely shot Tara.
Excellent.
I like the way the colorful bird stands out in this shot. :)
A dazzling array of lush colors illuminated by sparkling light. I'm sure I've never seen this purple color on a bird before - is this it's real color or photo shifted? No matter either way, of course, just curious...
I cranked the color on the whole picture. The bird looked nice backlit, but it does make for some washed out shades!
Wonderful capture Tara! they are quite a pain to get a decent photo of.
an astoundingly beautiful shot
Birds eye view. Nice shot. Aloha
He's a cool little guy. Have fun roughing it.
Superb capture Tara. God bless.
way cool !
wonderful
Holy frack, Tara! That has to be the 'bluest' blue heron I've ever seen! I see a few around here from time to time, but they're more grey than blue - and the #%$#% things refuse to let me get a shot! They sit there until I get ready to press the shutter, then off they fly! I just know they're laughing at me...... :-P This whole photo is just full of color, actually... Egad! 30 hours without internet access? However will you two survive! LOL!
what a wonderful place to watch animals and what a great heron you found! superb capture Tara - and i like your and Bills Photoblog!
What a great colour this heron is, almost purple.
Wonderful wild nature! And of course capture!
A big "zen" bird thinking :) :)
Good gracious. I'm shocked that the bird made no effort to tidy its nest with visitors around... :o) Great shot!
I think the bird's purple works in this shot, because everything in the shot is at a shimmering peak. (If this were the tropics, a purple bird wouldn't be as uncommon, so we can just imagine we're in Ecuador, lol.) Anyway, the whole shot is 'cranked' as you wrote (to Claude), and it makes a shimmering set of layers. And because you cropped this vertically---ie, the layers, at first, suggest 'horizontal'---you've transformed this into a 'sandwich' of layers, one on top of the other. A really fine choice. The grass heads---second layer from top---is beautiful under those deep green trees. And the lowest layer---the running water---is like silver milk, or white fiberglass strands...it's beautiful down there! And, against all this shimmer and saturation, the bird is a beautiful accent. Your crop brought out the many layers; and all your highlighting make this a light-show of sorts. Beautiful work, and very luminous.