I took this photo of a Great Blue Heron flying over Charleston City Lake here in Arkansas back in January 2014. I was at this lake photographing Bald Eagles and several Great Blue Heron were also hanging around. I was sitting in my pickup when this one flew across the lake in front of me. Using a vehicle as a blind works well for these birds most of the time because they are used to seeing vehicles in the area.
How I Got The Shot – Great Blue Heron
I was using a Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera with a Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM lens. I had this setup resting on a bean bag draped over the open window of my pickup.
Camera Settings
- AV Mode
- Back-button focus
- Aperture f5.6
- ISO 640
- Shutter speed – 1/1000 sec.
- Auto White Balance
- Single Point, Continuous Auto Focus
- Exposure Compensation: -1/3 EV
- Spot Metering
- Focal Length – 500 mm