Grey Heron by Jan Wegener (@jan_wegener_) on Instagram.
When I pick a favorite photo of the week normally I pick a photo that stands out on my Instagram feed. Thus, there's typically a great deal of luck involved in choosing which photograph is "Photo of the Week." First, one has to create a great photograph (which often involves some level of luck on the part of the photographer). Second, I have to find it, which is where the luck really comes in. However, I can't say that of this week's selection; Jan Wegener routinely produces brilliant, high-quality work (if you don't follow him on Instagram yet and you're serious about bird photography, you're really missing out). It was only a matter of time before I selected one of his works as my favorite photo. This week, Jan really outdid himself.
I feel as if this heron is about to crush me! Maybe this is how fish feel right before one of these herons strike? Jan's perspective and proximity to subject make this photograph phenomenal. You feel as if you're the prey of this heron! Too often with bird photography do you see a bird through a telephoto lens with a razor-thin depth of field. Due to the finicky nature of birds you need a longer lens to get a decent photo without disturbing them— in my experience merely acknowledging the presence of a bird can cause it to fly away! Thus, it is quite rare to see a bird photographed so close. How Jan managed to get so near to this heron is a feat in itself.
Jan appears to be using a wide-angle (or at least wider-angle) lens, giving the impression that 1.) this heron is right on top of the photographer and 2.) that this heron does exist in real space. It creates a more personal interaction with the bird: the heron feels less like an object to be admired in some abstract space and more like a real, living thing with personality. You look at the photo and can feel the next step that the heron will take. The low-angle also helps to give some power or weight to heron, emphasizing the importance of the bird. By getting low and close, and by using a wider-angle, Jan makes the bird both approachable and real and at the same time intimidating. What makes this photo so special and inspiring is that you feel like you could reach out and touch this heron, sitting only inches away.
Technically, Jan excels at capturing this heron. I can't emphasize enough how impressed I am with how close he is to the bird. I can think of very few situations in my own photography when I've been so close to a bird! Especially with herons, which I've found are especially flighty, getting close enough to even use a 300mm lens is a challenge. Jan might be in a blind or wielding a handful of fish (don't feed wild animals), but it doesn't really matter as the end result is marvelous. Likewise, the choice of a wide-angle lens to show the background and the other birds works fantastically well. Jan could have used a fast aperture, turning the background into a bokeh oblivion. This would have been pretty, but would have subtracted from the feeling of closeness to the bird. It helps to see the bird in space as it not only emphasizes the reality of the heron, but it also gives a sense of perspective that exaggerates how close the bird is to the foreground.
Finally, Jan captured astounding light. Jan managed to light the bird in such a way that every detail in feathers is crisp and clear. The contrast on the wing feathers is especially lovely— the light fantastically reveals every separation and layer of the wing's feathers. Frankly, it's mesmerizing; I can't stop looking at those finger-like wing feathers! The fact that he nailed focus on this heron also helps.
All in all, by getting low to the ground and extremely close to the heron, Jan does a remarkable job at photographing wildlife in a unique manner. He makes the bird feel both real and approachable and at the same time terrifying, as if it is about to eat the viewer. Jan gives the the viewer the sensation of feeling like prey, which is shockingly difficult when the "predator" is a heron. Thus, Jan's photo inspires and deserves to be this week's photo of the week.
Make sure to follow Jan on Instagram @jan_wegener_ for more great bird photography.