Great Blue Heron on a windy day, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, FloridaGreat Blue Heron with sand in the background – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1500, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, natural light

These Great Blue Heron photos were taken of the same bird, photographed at same location on the same day just one minute apart. When I created the photo with the sand in the background I was laying down on a small sand dune and took the photo with my camera about level with the wind blown heron. That showed the sandy beach in the background and the water of the Gulf of Mexico near the top of the frame.

Resting Great Blue Heron, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, FloridaResting Great Blue Heron – Nikon D200, handheld,  f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm at 250mm, natural light

For the second image I had sand-crawled a little closer to the heron and aimed my camera lens at a more upward angle. By doing so I eliminated the sand behind the heron and had the clear blue sky for a background.

These wind blown Great Blue Heron images are only six frames apart but the backgrounds are very different.

The difference in the angle of my lens created the two different backgrounds. When I am photographing I often look for opportunities like I had with this Great Blue Heron to change my angle or the angle of my lens to experiment. With some habitats it can make a huge difference in the final results, in this case I like both presentations and backgrounds.

Life is good.

Mia

Images were created in March of 2009 at Fort De Soto County Park.

Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.