Great Blue Heron preening in front of the Earth Shadow and Belt of Venus – Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1/320, ISO 640, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light
Thirteen years ago this morning I photographed a Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and the Earth Shadow on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park on the west coast of Florida. The Earth Shadow is the bluish hue near the feet of the heron and the sand dune and the Belt of Venus is the pinkish hue above that. I arrived at the beach before dawn or what is also called civil twilight and when I found the heron with those colors behind it I was over the moon.
There was a stiff wind was blowing the sand on the beach at about 30-35 knots (35-40 mph) and the tiny grains stung my exposed skin. The stinging sand didn’t matter to me at the time because I felt so delighted to photograph this heron with such a beautiful sky behind it.
Great Blue Heron walking in front of the Belt of Venus and Earth Shadow – Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 640, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 330mm, natural light
Over the years I have taken thousands and thousands of Great Blue Heron photos in Florida, Utah, Montana, and Idaho and whenever I think of these large, prehistoric looking wading birds the morning I took these photos always rises to the top of my memories. I had this heron and the beach to myself, I was relaxed and excited at the same time, and life was good.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.
Elegant, surreal, images. Like Traditional Chinese watercolor paintings…beautiful. Thanks Mia.
Elegant, surreal, shots. Like traditional Chinese watercolors… simply beautiful. Thanks Mia.
These are beautiful Mia! I don’t know if it is the mountains in the area here, but the Belt of Venus is not as prominent. I was shocked how nice it was in Nebraska when I was photographing the Sandhill Cranes.
The Great Blue Heron preening in front of the earth shadow and belt of venus is the MOST BEAUTIFUL photo I have ever seen. Congratulations on such a gorgeous shot.
What an amazing experience – and photos…
Very cool! Now I know what the Belt of Venus is.
Wow! and Wow! again.
That first picture of the GBH preening is a work of art!!!
OMG! Those shots are otherworldly. If I had taken such shots I would have had to stop shooting forever, knowing I could never surpass or even match such perfection. Wow! Those definitely belong in an art museum. And then there are your organizational skills. I could never find a shot I took 13 years ago. Again. Impressive. Heck, I am lucky if I can find a shot I took last year. Kudos all round.