I thought I was dinner...

[Brownbear]

Just to reinforce someone elses quote "All of the superlatives have been used already. This is one of the best series I think that I have ever seen - right in every way. Truly National Geographic standard. another WOW!"

Sensational and truly inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[NorthernFocus]

Awesome set, Monte. Those who haven't witnessed this happen can't fully appreciate how fast it happens and how skilled you were with the camera to pull off this sequence. Really excellent. Nicely done.

Do you use a normal kayak paddle or a canoe paddle? To date I'm loathe to take my best gear kayaking on salt water because I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably dry

[FootLoose]

Superb set, Monte. The last one is my favourite because it shows a little bit of character in the bird. To me, it seems to be checking to see if the fish is secure in its grip.

[BCrose]

Awesome set, Monte. Those who haven't witnessed this happen can't fully appreciate how fast it happens and how skilled you were with the camera to pull off this sequence. Really excellent. Nicely done.

Do you use a normal kayak paddle or a canoe paddle? To date I'm loathe to take my best gear kayaking on salt water because I can't figure out how to keep it reasonably dry

Thanks. I do not think I would do this in salt water to be honest. Waves and wind are my enemy. You cannot sit still unless the water is calm and wind does not allow you to get in positions that take advantage of the light for long enough periods of time. You really need to have patience and wait for the birds like on land. I also think the salt might be a bad thing for gear. I use a kayak paddle, a longer one, 275mm I think.

With this series I seen the bird circle above me, I started tracking it early and once the D4 locks on it is very good a maintaining focus. As you know BIF coming directly at you is a difficult challenge for most AF systems. Eagles are generally slow but not when they decide to catch dinner! I was looking at the sequence again this evening in LightRoom and I actually took 42 images, 100% keepers. That is not normal but the light, the position and locking on early all played a role.

[Donald]

Hope one of the mods would pick one and pin it to the top slideshow.

Job done. In fact it's more than one.

[pasusan]

Superb set, Monte. The last one is my favourite because it shows a little bit of character in the bird. To me, it seems to be checking to see if the fish is secure in its grip.

I agree - that's just what I thought...

Monte - thanks very much for your kind explanation of how you accomplished this. I really appreciate the sharing that goes on here.

[Ans]

magnificent. so crisp and clear.

[GrahamS]

Bravo! I tip my hat to you, sir.

[Shadowman]

Nice composure.

[wommby]

Thanks everyone.
The right place the right time is all I can say about the experience.

The D4 and 200-400mm F/4 did the rest.

Susan: Very simple settings really. I use the Nikon D4 at 10 frames per second. This helps a great deal. I think I had 40 or 50 images to choose from and all were keepers, very pleased with that! Considering this probably all happened in 5 or 6 seconds the D4 really helps in that regard. I have the camera set on AF-C, Back button focus method and a single focus point. Who needs the other 52 anyway

Camera set to aperture priority and f/7.1 for this set. I had the lens at 340mm. I use auto-iso (blush) and set a minimum shutter speed to 1/1600. The only thing that changes in the series is the ISO and that ranged from 640 to 1400 in the last images with the green background. This is my bird set up that I pretty much stick with. I choose the aperture I want and let the camera do the rest.

These were taken from a small kayak. I creep around the small lakes in the area and wait for opportunities like this. Take thousands of pictures a month and probably have 100 keepers. Most of all I have fun and can share my images with you fine folks who appreciate them

Any other questions just ask, always happy to share info

Hi there, fantastic set of images. Just reading how you set your camera up and wonder do you always use auto iso and if not what would you normally have it on? How do you set a minium shutter speed when in Aperture priority? Sorry for the questions but would love to know this. I have a d700. Just absolutely amazing shots.

[BCrose]

Hi there, fantastic set of images. Just reading how you set your camera up and wonder do you always use auto iso and if not what would you normally have it on? How do you set a minium shutter speed when in Aperture priority? Sorry for the questions but would love to know this. I have a d700. Just absolutely amazing shots.

This is a feature specific to Nikon...sorry Canon users...
In the shooting menu go to the ISO sensitivity settings and turn it ON
In the sub menu you can set your Max ISO you want to use and your MINIMUM shutter speed.

For my bird set up I set the max ISO to 1600 and the MIN shutter speed to 1/1600.

So now when I use Aperture priority I can choose what aperture I want to use. If the light is not good enough to give me 1/1600 @ my base ISO setting of 100 (200 on the D700) then the ISO will increase to maintain that MIN shutter speed of 1/1600. If you are using F/2.8 or F4 lenses wide open the ISO rarely goes very high but with these new generation cameras 1600 is completely usable.

Another great thing about this is the ISO will not move up in full stops but in 1/3 stops so you really get better control over the ISO than if you were setting it manually.

I do not think Nikon intended this feature to be used this way but rather the opposite where a wedding photographer for example would set a minimum shutter speed of perhaps 1/30th before the auto ISO kicked in. I discovered this way of using it just playing with camera settings one day when the light bulb went off above my head and I realized I could use it to my advantage on the opposite end of the scale.

It works well for me and all of the images I have posted here on CIC have used that set up. I think they speak for themselves and I have shot thousands of images this way that I am pleased with. For the type of shooting I do 1/1600 is the minimum I like to use, freezing flapping wings and water splashing needs very high shutter speeds. I also want to be able to control the aperture so this gives me the best of both worlds.

Canon users (or Nikon and others) can do something similar by simply using M mode and setting auto ISO to 1600 max and setting the shutter to 1/1600. You can then move the aperture around and the ISO will be the only thing that changes to maintain a proper exposure.

Hope this helped and sorry to be so long winded

[wommby]

This is a feature specific to Nikon...sorry Canon users...
In the shooting menu go to the ISO sensitivity settings and turn it ON
In the sub menu you can set your Max ISO you want to use and your MINIMUM shutter speed.

For my bird set up I set the max ISO to 1600 and the MIN shutter speed to 1/1600.

So now when I use Aperture priority I can choose what aperture I want to use. If the light is not good enough to give me 1/1600 @ my base ISO setting of 100 (200 on the D700) then the ISO will increase to maintain that MIN shutter speed of 1/1600. If you are using F/2.8 or F4 lenses wide open the ISO rarely goes very high but with these new generation cameras 1600 is completely usable.

Another great thing about this is the ISO will not move up in full stops but in 1/3 stops so you really get better control over the ISO than if you were setting it manually.

I do not think Nikon intended this feature to be used this way but rather the opposite where a wedding photographer for example would set a minimum shutter speed of perhaps 1/30th before the auto ISO kicked in. I discovered this way of using it just playing with camera settings one day when the light bulb went off above my head and I realized I could use it to my advantage on the opposite end of the scale.

It works well for me and all of the images I have posted here on CIC have used that set up. I think they speak for themselves and I have shot thousands of images this way that I am pleased with. For the type of shooting I do 1/1600 is the minimum I like to use, freezing flapping wings and water splashing needs very high shutter speeds. I also want to be able to control the aperture so this gives me the best of both worlds.

Canon users (or Nikon and others) can do something similar by simply using M mode and setting auto ISO to 1600 max and setting the shutter to 1/1600. You can then move the aperture around and the ISO will be the only thing that changes to maintain a proper exposure.

Hope this helped and sorry to be so long winded

Thanks for the explanation. Am going to give this a go soon. Love your shots.

[BCrose]

If anyone is interested I put a 20 image set of this sequence on my Flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9884850...7634619044571/

[Donald]

If anyone is interested I put a 20 image set of this sequence on my Flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9884850...7634619044571/

A remarkable slide show.

[dubaiphil]

I don't normally comment on the nature photos on here because I don't shoot that genre - but I have to make an exception here. Fantastic set!

[Anne22]

Absolutely stunning ....

[kdoc856]

Wow, the best eagle series I've seen. Very well done.

Ditto

[Cantab]

Ditto

Ditto for me to. A wonderful set!

[kaneohebud]

Monte:
Just found your eagle photos. REALLY GREAT! I echo all the others' comments. Great opportunity and even greater execution.

[nmckown]

Incredible Action Shots..... Such big, colorful talons for such a little fish.