This photo is literally taken across the street from our house in Foster City, Ca. on Belmont Slough Nature Reserve, which runs out to San Francisco Bay between Foster City and Redwood Shores levees.
That evening I was returning empty handed from my walk with 500mm lens and camera being carried in my backpack. The sun was setting behind the two story homes that were built parallel to Foster City levee. But there was enough light left that would come through the openings between the homes, and light up the upper half of the Marsh Grass.
First I hesitated if there was really any shot while the Great Blue Heron was looking for her dinner in the shady parts I watched it for few minutes just to enjoy its graceful and slow stroll through the Marsh Grass But when it moved into narrow slivers of sunlight, everything changed.
All of a sudden the Marsh Grass got lit up, her plumage colors and different shades started to catch my attention. So, I took out the 500mm lens with camera attached out of my backpack, set up the ISO and the exposure parameters, and waited until she walked into a section where narrow stream of sunlight was lighting things up including the Heron.
Judging by her very calculated slow steps and her focused look with her dagger like straight beak pointing at a target directly in front of her, it seemed like she was nearing a potential meal. Her seemingly telescopic neck got pushed forward, her head got fixated on a target directly in front of her, and then she paused for few seconds.
I took few shots just to experiment with different exposures and didn’t think much of them, until I started editing and bringing out the colors and the shades that made the photo as you see it. For me, It was well worth the twenty minutes I spent watching and photographing her. I hope you will also enjoy the peaceful setting, her lovely plumage, and her elegant pose right before she strikes.
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