Recently while walking around the Tutukaka marina we noticed a Matuku moana/White-faced Heron behaving a little unusually. Investigation revealed that it had a recently fledged juvenile that was sitting up on a sign near the edge of the walkway. Unperturbed by passing walkers and dogs it gave an opportunity for some close images and the background of trees on a shaded hillside gave perfect conditions for low key images.

With landscapes, especially sunsets and sunrises the best lighting can be behind you so it always pays to glance behind. When working a wildlife subjected it’s not helpful to look the other way unless you move to the opposite side of the subject first. In this case moving to the dark side gave me the opportunity to isolate the bird against a bright background of sky for a high key image. An example of moving to the dark side creating a brighter mood in the image.

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5 VR S