MH Benton 🇺🇸

The 2026 Calendars Are In!

www.mhbenton.photography/calendar
(click the link to view the months)

#photography #birds #calendar #2026calendar #stsimonsisland #glynncounty #glynncountyphotographer #mhbenton

Adult red-tailed hawk with yellow eyes against a blue sky. As they age the eyes slowly change to brown.

The Look
Younger red-tailed hawk
#birds, #photography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #hawk #redtailedhawk #glynncounty #mhbenton

Sunrise through some trees on a cloudy morning overlooking a salt marsh

Sunrise Over Village Creek Marsh

#landscape #photography #sunrise #clouds #sunburst #saltmarsh #fineart #glynncounty #villagecreek #mhbenton

Tricolored Heron In Flight I asked ChatGPT to compare the two images and write a statement about Fine Art vs Realistic Photography. This is what it came up with: Fine Art vs. Realistic Photography: The Tricolored Heron in Flight These two images explore the contrasting philosophies of fine art and realistic photography through the elegant motion of a tricolored heron in flight. The first image transforms the heron into a fine art subject—its colors intensified, textures refined, and background stylized to evoke emotion and visual poetry. Here, the artist’s interpretation transcends documentation, inviting the viewer to experience the bird not merely as a subject of nature, but as an expression of movement, light, and form. The second image presents the heron as it exists in the natural world. Its subtle tones, soft light, and open sky preserve the authenticity of the moment, allowing viewers to connect with the purity and serenity of the scene as it unfolded in real time. Together, these works illustrate the delicate balance between representation and interpretation—between seeing the world as it is and envisioning it as art.

RAW, straight out of the camera (SOOC), that the first image was created from. I asked ChatGPT to compare the two images and write a statement about Fine Art vs Realistic Photography. This is what it came up with: Fine Art vs. Realistic Photography: The Tricolored Heron in Flight These two images explore the contrasting philosophies of fine art and realistic photography through the elegant motion of a tricolored heron in flight. The first image transforms the heron into a fine art subject—its colors intensified, textures refined, and background stylized to evoke emotion and visual poetry. Here, the artist’s interpretation transcends documentation, inviting the viewer to experience the bird not merely as a subject of nature, but as an expression of movement, light, and form. The second image presents the heron as it exists in the natural world. Its subtle tones, soft light, and open sky preserve the authenticity of the moment, allowing viewers to connect with the purity and serenity of the scene as it unfolded in real time. Together, these works illustrate the delicate balance between representation and interpretation—between seeing the world as it is and envisioning it as art.

Tricolored Heron In Flight + the RAW image for comparison.

#fineart #photography #birds #SOOC #RAW #tricoloredheron #mhbenton #saintsimonsisland

I must disagree. Abuse, abuse trickles down! Inequity, inequity trickles down... The list goes on. It's more accurate to say, nothing positive trickles down.

That's from my backyard. We are lucky to have a rookery on the pond nextdoor and the marsh behind.

Adult tri-colored heron flying low over blue-green water of the salt marsh pong as the tide was rising.

Tri-colored Heron Over Marsh Pond

#avian #birds #shorebirds #photography #wildlife #heron #tricoloredheron #saltmarsh #pond #nature #glynncounty #stsimonsisland #mhbenton

I wrote this several years back on a cool October night.

Anhinga with pompano speared by its beak.

Anhinga repositioning a pompano to eat it.

Anhinga swallowing a pompano whole.

Anhinga after just swallowing a pompano.

Ever wonder how Anhinga fish? Spear, position, swallow whole!

#avian #birds #fish #photography #anhinga #pompano #wildlife #glynncounty

If you move slowly, you can get rather close.

A great egret standing atop a juniper against a dark background.

Great Egret In Juniper At Edge Of Pond

#ornithology #birds #photography #egret #greategret #nature #glynncounty #mhbenton

Yes, and other crustaceans and small fish.

Profile of a pink and white adult Roseate Spoonbill standing in the shallows of a blue marsh pond.

The Roseate Spoonbills Are Here For Fall!
We have two groups, the few that stay here year-round and the travelers migrating through. Their color is diet-driven.

#ornithology #birds #photoftheday #wildlife #wildlifephotography #roseatespoonbill #spoonbill #glynncounty #coastalgeorgia #mhbenton

Close up of red-tailed hawk's face

Profile of red-tailed hawk's face

Red-tailed Hawk
We had a visitor in the backyard yesterday.

#birds #avian #photography #on1pics #birdsofpray #raptor #hawk #redtailedhawk #glynncounty #mhbenton #saintsimonsisland

Great blue heron preening.

Great blue heron looking grumpy.

This Great Blue Heron became a little grumpy when it realized I was watching.

#birds #photography #herons #greatblueheron #wildlife #glynncounty #georgia #mhbenton

Hotel window view of low clouds obscuring the lake as the sun rises above the mountains in the background

Sunrise Over Mountains - St Moritz

#landscape #photography #sunrise #clouds #fineart #stmaritz #switzerland #sunburst #mhbenton

long exposure capturing 2 lightning bolts against a dark sky.

It was a pretty impressive storm last night!

DON'T TRY PHOTOGRAPHING LIGHTNING STANDING OUTSIDE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! IT'S DANGEROUS.

#weather #storm #thunderstorms #lightning #rain #mhbenton #stsimonsisland #glynncounty #goerogia

Fraumünster Church as seen from across the Limmat River. Colorful buildings and a pale blue sky.

Fraumünster Church In Zurich Switzerland

#zurich #switzerland #limmatriver #Fraumünster #Church #landscape #photography #europe #mhbenton

Tuscan Moon At Sunrise

#moon #sunrise #morning #celestial #Tuscany #Italy #morningsky #crescentmoon #mhbenton

Sunrise above distant rolling hills at the resort The Club House, in Tuscany Italy.

Sunrise At The Club House
Next week I will be adding all the images from our trip to my website. I hope this teaser from our stay piques your interest.

If you plan on visiting Tuscany, I highly recommend a stay at the Club House

#fontanellestate #theclubhouse #visittuscany #tuscany #italy #sunrise

A stream with little waterfalls deep within the Black Forest.

Meanwhile, in the Black Forest...

#nature #water #stream #blackforest #forest #germany #flowingwater #mhbenton

A drive lined with Tuscan Cypress trees on a green lawn and a clear blue sky.

Tuscan Cypress Under A Tuscan Sky
#BlueSkyMonday #Tuscany #Italy #tusacancypress #mhbenton

The Matterhorn against a blue sky with snow being blown off

Matterhorn At Sunset

Arrived in Zermatt, checked in to hotel and this is the view from the room.

@nationalzermatt.ch #matterhorn #sunset #vacation #mhbenton #zermatt #switzerland #alps

Vacationing in Italy
Sorry for no posts in a while, we are enjoying Italy and Switzerland for another week or so.

#italy #lakeiseo #vacation #mebenton

Adult roseate spoonbill flying across green spartina marsh grass

Happy Spoonbill!

🪶 #birds #fineart #photography #avian #wildlife #nature #threskiornithidae #spoonbills #marsh #spartina #roseatespoonbills #glynncounty #mhbenton

Adult Carolina chickadee in in the green leaves of a crepe myrtle

Carolina Chickadee in Crepe Myrtle

#birds #carolinachickadee #chickadee #photography #glynncounty #mhbenton #wildlife #nature #paridae #crepemyrtle

Roseate spoonbill landing the the marsh at low tide.

Private Airshow!
Airshow today on the mainland, they have the Blue Angles - I have the Pink Ladies!

🪶 #birds #fineart #photography #avian #wildlife #nature #threskiornithidae #spoonbills #roseatespoonbills #glynncounty #mhbenton

Immature white ibis early in 2nd year hiding in juniper trees next to a pond

Immature White Ibis Hiding In The Junipers

🪶 #birds #avain #fineart #photography #widllife #nature #pond #ibis #whiteibis #threskiornithidae #glynncounty #mhbenton

Little blue heron just starting to transition from white to blue against a pale background.

Little Blue Heron Atop Juniper
starting 2nd year

🪶 #birds #avian #photography #wildlife #nature #heron #littleblueheron #ardeidae #glynncounty #mhbenton

silhouette composite image of bird flock flying across a yellow-red sunrise sky.

Sunrise Flight

Was asked how I create these impossible shots. Tripod and 2 exposures, Expose for sunrise, adjust 1st EV to +1.5 for flock then 2nd at EV -0.3 for the sunrise. Combine in post.

🪶 #photography #wildlife #sunrise #flock #saltmarsh #landscape #silhouette #fineart #glynncounty #mhbenton