Florida's egrets and basic wildlife photography tips

 Great egret fishing

Florida has two common native egrets: the great egret(similar in size to the great blue heron but solid white) and the snowy egret(similar in size to little blue and tri-color herons but solid white). Egret will be found the same areas as herons and share similar habits. The best opportunities for egret photography also coincide with that of herons.

Snowy egret on beach

This post will focus on some of the fundamentals of wildlife photography, applicable to all animal subjects. Keeping these basic guidelines in mind while taking wildlife photos will make for more “ooh’s and “ahh’s” from people looking at your shots. These rules apply just as well to general photography.

Great egret with a large fish for breakfast

Control the background as much as possible. Think about the background before releasing the shutter. Are you trying to show the egret in its natural environment with everything sharp and recognizable or do you want an isolated portrait against a plain background? Quite often both types of shot can be achieved by simply changing the lens aperture to control depth of field. Shadowed areas and bright sky also make effective dark or light backgrounds. The background is a choice by the photographer and moving the camera even a few inches or changing the aperture can have a huge impact on the final image.

Snowy egret against a dark backgound of shadowed, out-of-focus foliage

Use a tripod, or at least a monopod, whenever possible. Carrying a tripod everywhere can seem inconvenient but the improvement you see in your final images will convince you. A tripod allows(forces?) more careful framing of the subject(try to avoid objects jutting into the frame and distracting bright spots near the edges). Tripods permit more careful evaluation of depth-of-field for exactly the effect you are trying to achieve. Slow shutter speeds are not a problem when small apertures are needed for maximum depth-of-field. Just as important as anything else, maximum image sharpness is only possible when the camera is mounted on a tripod. Image stabilization, whether in the lens or in the camera body is a big help when hand-holding but cannot replace a solid tripod.

Snowy egret with back-lighting and out-of-focus water in the background

Pay attention to the exposure histogram. Make sure not to overexpose the highlight areas, especially when shooting white subjects like Florida’s egrets. If needed, and if a tripod is used, two or three frames can be exposed at different exposures and then combined during post-processing to keep all shadow and highlight details. At least be aware if your camera cannot capture the full contrast range of the image and make a conscious decision about where it is better to lose detail.

Photographing Florida's Herons

Tri-color heron

Birds are one of the things I love most about Florida photography, and my favorite birds are the herons. I commonly see six varieties of herons in the Tampa Bay area: great blue heron are the largest, little blue herons, tri-color herons, yellow crowned and black crowned night herons and green backed herons, the smallest variety. All of these birds are commonly seen throughout much of Florida and many varieties are spread throughout North America. Florida, though, is the only place I have been where I can usually get within twenty feet of these great birds.

Immature(top) and mature(bottom) green backed herons

The best places to get great photos of the herons are where two things occur together: water and a steady stream of people. Water is important because these birds live mostly on fish and people are important so the birds are acclimated and allow a close approach. I seldom want more than a 200mm lens on an APS-sensor DSLR(300mm full-frame equivalent). For the best photos it is best to be out when most of the other people are not-the birds are used to people but are more relaxed when there is just one or two instead of a crowd.

  The great blue heron has many color variations

I like to get to know an area very well by going back repeatedly, at different times of the day and different seasons. This adds variety to the photos(differing plumage and stages of development, different foliage and backgrounds) and greater depth of knowledge about the habits of the herons. Going back again and again also makes luck for the photographer, greatly increasing the chances of getting that certain shot.

Immature(top) and mature(bottom) black crowned night herons

I strive for as much variety in my photos of each species as possible. For instance, I will make an effort over the course of several years to get great blue heron photos wading in a pond, on a beach, perched in a tree, flying, in adult mating plumage, in immature plumage, with a fish in beak, etc… For those with only a few days for photography while visiting Florida, such in-depth coverage will not be possible. But it can still be achieved during the course of two or three trips, with careful planning, at different times of the year. But even setting aside a half day for heron photography will pretty much guarantee at least a few good shots in most areas of the state.

Immature(top) and mature(bottom) yellow crowned night herons

My favorite time for bird photography of all kinds is early morning, starting about a half hour before sunrise. The early dawn light is quite flat and even(very low contrast) and is great for color saturation and showing fine detail. A tripod is essential for the longer exposure times required, even if a fast lens is used. Except for flight shots, subject motion is not usually a problem with herons-they are used to standing quite motionless for long periods of time waiting for fish to come to them.

Little blue heron

The night herons tend to be the most shy. Patience by the photographer taking a slow approach will be rewarded with better photos. Sometimes the night herons make a habit of using the same perches at certain times of the day and this knowledge can also be used to advantage.