In the Field

Blue, Blue Heron. Columbia Lake, BC, Canada. August 1994.

Must a photograph be sharply focused in order to be effective? Nope - not always. A softly focused image or subject - like the Great Blue Heron in this image - can invoke a sense of mood. And often that mood is one of calmness or serenity. Colour can contribute to the mood of the image as well. According to colour experts (not me!), combining grayed or lightened tints of blue will produce a calming or restful effect.

Interestingly, I had this independently verified when I took a print of the image pictured above into one of the galleries that sells my work. The staff reacted strongly to the image - there were several comments made about the peacefulness and tranquility of it. Ironically, I had thought the image was pretty much a failure. This wasn't the first time - and certainly won't be the last - that I have mis-judged the reaction of others to one of my images (my record of guessing which images will be hot sellers and which will be...uhhh...less successful is somewhat less than perfect!).

Behind the Camera

Blue, Blue Heron. Columbia Lake, BC, Canada. August 1994.

Film Capture; Provia; ISO 100.

Nikon F801 film SLR - lens not recorded.

Exposure information not recorded.

At the Computer

Blue, Blue Heron. Columbia Lake, BC, Canada. August 1994.

Slide scan to 16-bit TIFF file using Nikon Super Coolscan 5000ED.

All further digital correction on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS2, including selective saturation enhancement, selective lens blur, and selective sharpening for web output.

Conservation

Blue, Blue Heron. Columbia Lake, BC, Canada. August 1994.

Ten percent of the revenue generated by this image will be donated to Wildsight.

Species Status in Canada*: Pacific subspecies (Ardea herodias fannini) listed as species of Special Concern (April 1997); other populations and subspecies not currently considered at risk.

The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest, most wide-spread and best known of the North American Herons. Great Blue Herons are monogamous but breed colonially in congregations known as rookeries. Legal protection of rookeries in many parts of North America have had positive results on their populations. Currently most of North America's populations of these birds are considered healthy and stable.

This Great Blue Heron was photographed in the Columbia Valley of the East Kootenays. Many ecosystems within the Columbia Valley face development pressure, including pressure from logging operations. Wildsight is an effective conservation organization that protects biodiversity and promotes sustainable communities in Canada's Columbia and Rocky Mountains. Support for Wildsight, through donation or becoming a member, will help ensure that they remain effective in their efforts to conserve threatened or endangered species and ecosystems.

*as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada