“Great Blue Heron Fishing in Morning Light” by Robin Conover, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV,
EF 100-400 mm at 235 mm, ƒ4.5-5.6 L USM lens, ISO 320, ƒ6.3 at 1/500 second, Gitzo tripod
Nature photographers, hunters and fishermen are just a few of the outdoors people who understand how much truth is in the old idiom, “The early bird gets the worm.” I know it was an expression I heard many times growing up.
I didn’t really understand it then, but I do now. Whether you are chasing the warm light at sunrise, a deer or turkey crossing your path or a record largemouth bass, the earliest moments of the day are often the most rewarding.
Believe me, I know how easy it is to hit snooze and fall back asleep instead of getting up when it’s still dark outside so I can greet the first light of day. When I do convince myself to be the early bird and get up, I’m rarely disappointed. Being in the woods at sunrise is one of my favorite and most enjoyable times as a nature enthusiast and photographer.
On this particular day last October, I planned to photograph the sunrise from the Adams Family Observation Deck at Radnor Lake in Nashville. I was hiking to the deck located about a mile from the parking area as the blue hue of twilight began to brighten. This is a magical hour between night and day that few people get out to enjoy.
You can literally hear and feel the forest and its inhabitants begin to awaken. As dawn approaches, the wildlife begins to stir, songbirds start to welcome the new day with their distinctive songs and the sunlight begins to warm the air.
Standing alone on the observation deck, I was concentrating on capturing the sunrise and the interaction of fog with the lake’s surface when I noticed this great blue heron creeping along the shoreline nearby in search of his first catch of the day. The fog and fall color made a beautiful background while the angle of the sunrise provided a rim light or highlight along the beak and body, outlining and separating the subject from the background.
I captured this image as the heron continued to wade along the lake’s edge, occasionally stabbing at minnows. Within a few minutes, it had moved out of the perfect light and out of view. I was thankful to have been at the right place at the right time to capture the image — and catch the “worm” of the day.
