Into The Light | Phil Lanoue Photography

Into The Light

During the past weekend I photographed this great blue heron as it left the darker side of the marsh pond and flew into a brighter section. The fishing will be better on the sunny side of the pond because the heron will find it much easier to spot the fish swimming around in the well lit area of the water.

This one is also entering into breeding plumage as it is starting to get the bright blue lores in front of it’s eyes which is a telltale sign.

69 thoughts on “Into The Light”

Chillbrook on March 26, 2013 at 4:35 pm said:

Beautiful picture Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:15 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Adrian, appreciate it!
  
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2me4art on March 26, 2013 at 4:53 pm said:

OMG,OMG Phil! Amazing! Stunning! Award winning. Phil, I really like this one!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:16 pm said:
  
  Well I truly appreciate your very kind comments Amy! Thanks
  
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  - 2me4art on March 27, 2013 at 9:07 pm said:
    
    Those are not kind, those are enthusiastic!
    
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roughseasinthemed on March 26, 2013 at 5:15 pm said:

Concord or what?

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:16 pm said:
  
  He is built for not only speed but distance!
  
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herzstille on March 26, 2013 at 5:38 pm said:

Wow …..das ist eines der BESTEN Fotos von dir……du hast viele tolle Bilder, aber das …..Wow……

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:21 pm said:
  
  Vielen Dank. Ich bin so froh, dass du mag dieses Foto 🙂
  
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Gunta on March 26, 2013 at 5:41 pm said:

Phil, this one is absolutely gorgeous! Just when I think you can’t get any better, you do!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  Thanks a million Gunta I really appreciate that tremendously!
  
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janmasyn on March 26, 2013 at 5:42 pm said:

Excellent work Phil, great BIF shot

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much for your kind comment Jan.
  
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sallywoodphotography on March 26, 2013 at 5:45 pm said:

Lovely lighting and composition!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:17 pm said:
  
  So glad you like this Sally!
  
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pixelspielerei on March 26, 2013 at 6:26 pm said:

Such a beautiful snapshot!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:18 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much!
  
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niasunset on March 26, 2013 at 7:44 pm said:

Yes, I decided, you started to fly along them…. 🙂 Great shot. Thanks and Love, nia

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:18 pm said:
  
  I wish I could fly with them! Thank you very much Nia!
  
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mariayarri on March 26, 2013 at 7:47 pm said:

Your photo of a Heron can´t be much better than this ! // Maria

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:19 pm said:
  
  Thank you Maria, very nice of you to say that! 🙂
  
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Martina Studio67 on March 26, 2013 at 8:09 pm said:

What a beautiful, stunning image, it’s my favorite bird and this is surely a winning photo.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:19 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much for your very kind words! The GBH is my favorite bird as well and I never get tired of watching them!
  
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Andrew on March 26, 2013 at 8:16 pm said:

Stunning light Phil and perfect timing.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:20 pm said:
  
  Thanks a million Andrew, I really appreciate it!
  
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Nels on March 26, 2013 at 8:43 pm said:

Awesome shot Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 26, 2013 at 8:46 pm said:
  
  Thanks Nels, appreciate it.
  
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norasphotos4u on March 26, 2013 at 8:51 pm said:

Stunning shot

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:09 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much glad you liked it!
  
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Kate on March 26, 2013 at 9:44 pm said:

Stunning photo, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:09 pm said:
  
  I appreciate your kind comment Kate!
  
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Jon Rista on March 26, 2013 at 10:40 pm said:

Beautiful shot, Phil! Love the lighting on the bird.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:10 pm said:
  
  Thanks a lot Jon, I’m happy you enjoyed this flight pic!
  
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lylekrahn on March 26, 2013 at 11:15 pm said:

Perfect form – you and the heron.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:10 pm said:
  
  Thanks much, I greatly appreciate that.
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on March 26, 2013 at 11:30 pm said:

I cannot say more than I love this image.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:10 pm said:
  
  That’s very kind of you thanks!
  
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Charlie@Seattle Trekker on March 27, 2013 at 1:06 am said:

Awsome, just plain awsome. Love the photo.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks for the kind comment Charlie!
  
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adinparadise on March 27, 2013 at 1:25 am said:

Marvelous photo, Phil. I’m really missing my GBH, so it was great to see this one. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:11 pm said:
  
  Thank you Sylvia, I’m sure you do miss seeing your big guy and glad I could help that a little bit. 🙂
  
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HansHB on March 27, 2013 at 4:28 am said:

Awesome flight shot!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:12 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much Hans!
  
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Mike Powell on March 27, 2013 at 5:21 am said:

Wonderful shot, Phil, as always. Yesterday, I stumbled across the term “lore” that you so cavalierly threw into your post. Who knew there was a special term for the area between a bird’s eye and bill? This past weekend I photographed a Great Egret in breeding plumage and noticed the area around its eyes was more brightly colored than I had ever seen (like that of your heron).

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:17 pm said:
  
  Thanks for checking out this photo Mike and glad you enjoyed the info as well. It is interesting when the egrets and herons come into breeding plumage. Terrific that you got your egret last weekend. They generally get the green around the eye as opposed to the blue of the GBH.
  I also photographed two cattle egrets this afternoon in breeding color.
  Here’s a recent post with an egret getting it’s green lores.
  https://phillanoue.com/2013/03/15/success/
  
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crazytraintotinkytown on March 27, 2013 at 5:28 am said:

This is outstanding Phil and my favourite bird too

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:18 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much D and put me down as the GBH being my favorite as well.
  
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circuitousjourney on March 27, 2013 at 5:57 am said:

Awesome photograph of an awesome bird!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:18 pm said:
  
  I appreciate that very much, thanks!
  
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Jane Lurie on March 27, 2013 at 9:02 am said:

Graceful and beautiful, Phil. Lovely image.

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:18 pm said:
  
  I’m so happy you enjoyed it Jane!
  
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Amy on March 27, 2013 at 12:32 pm said:

AWESOME shot, Wow!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:19 pm said:
  
  Hey thanks a bunch Amy! 🙂
  
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Cowboys and Crossbones on March 27, 2013 at 6:14 pm said:

Money shot, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 6:21 pm said:
  
  I always do my best to deliver! 😎 😀 Thanks a million!
  
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  - Cowboys and Crossbones on March 27, 2013 at 6:22 pm said:
    
    Ted wants to know if you’ll photograph his profile in a forgiving light (i.e. he will suck in his gut).
    
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    - Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 7:37 pm said:
      
      See that’s why I always photograph alligators…not only do they not complain if I make them look fat, they in fact prefer it. 🙂
      I told Jack if he snubs his food again tonight the Ted man is getting it.
      
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      - Cowboys and Crossbones on March 28, 2013 at 10:44 am said:
        
        Ha! How did Jack fare? Do you think alligators care if they look unflattering in a photo…..?!
        
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        Phil Lanoue on March 29, 2013 at 10:40 am said:
        
        Jack did in fact end up snubbing his food as usual but…my other cat Ripley who is all white and 16lbs. of fat, uh, I mean fun, ate it overnight. BK!
        I think it’s close to impossible to take an unflattering photo of an alligator. Besides, who is really going to make fun of them?! 🙂
        
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        Cowboys and Crossbones on March 29, 2013 at 10:59 am said:
        
        You have a 16 lber?! I LOVE IT! My little prince prior to Ted was a ball of love that tipped the scales at 18 lbs…yeah… a whole lot to love. Making fun of alligators would be like signing one’s own death certificate. Which is why I will always say they are fabulous. And gorgeous!
        
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Fergiemoto on March 27, 2013 at 6:30 pm said:

I love these birds and seek then out when I visit the local bird refuge. Thanks for the info about the breeding plumage. Awesome shot!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 7:42 pm said:
  
  I’m glad you enjoyed the photo and the info about one of my all time favorite birds!
  
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Bella Remy Photography on March 27, 2013 at 6:35 pm said:

Oh wow Phil…sheer perfection! Such a transition with light. 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on March 27, 2013 at 7:43 pm said:
  
  Thanks a bunch Emily, I’m really happy you liked this and I greatly appreciate your very kind words!
  
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FeyGirl on March 28, 2013 at 3:54 pm said:

Such a lovely scene and composition… Just sublime!!

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- Phil Lanoue on March 29, 2013 at 10:27 am said:
  
  Hey I’m very happy you liked this thanks!
  
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Conor Cullen on March 31, 2013 at 11:17 am said:

Love this shot, Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on April 3, 2013 at 10:11 am said:
  
  I’m very happy you like it Conor, thanks!
  
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suburbanferndaleark on April 10, 2013 at 9:40 pm said:

Great timing on that shot! Wow!

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