Eagles

[Brownbear]

One of my goals for this year is to capture some beautiful in flight shots of eagles... I'm finding it quite the challenge not only to find them but also to photograph them!

I haven't managed an "In-flight" shot, yet... Dan (Northern Focus) has kindly advised me on a few things which include exposing to the right as far as possible, metering off of bright green trees, flat diffuse bright light, white balance, and of course I've been reading all his tips on eagles to learn as much as possible. (Thank you Dan)

Anyhow I've managed a few shots that I like of a Juvenile Bald Eagle perched in a tree... Even though I'm looking up at the bird and eye level is preferable.

These image are of a juvenile Bald Eagle and were taken about 3-4 hours after sunrise but the light was very nice (bright cloudy day)... It took me a while to find him/her and when he took flight it was in the opposite direction of me. (:


f/8 SS 1/1250 ISO 1600 Focal length 500 mm

#1



#2



I blew the sky in these shots while exposing to the right...

#3



#4



Aside... I trekked through a foot of snow, found my eagle, only to discover my camera died... After about 5 minutes of trying to figure out what was wrong with my camera, I remembered that batteries freeze up quickly in cold weather... And I had a spare battery stored in a warm place on my person! (something I learned and remembered from members of CnC last year - thank you)


That's all... And yes, I intend to keep trying for an in flight shot!

[Barbara Ponder]

Lovely shots I especially like the 4th something about the ruffle of the feathers draws me in.

[djg05478]

I think those were worth the trek in the snow. Good stuff. Nice and crisp with great feather detail at that shutter speed.
Debbie

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, glad you had the opportunity for a spotting.

[Brownbear]

Barbara.

Thank you. It is nice to know that you like that particular shot. I like it because its quirky, and also for the feather detail in seen in the head and the rumpled look of the eagle but we can't see the birds eyes.

Debbie... Thank you. Hand held and I was hopeful for an in flight shot which never happened. The amount of snow was quite the surprise. Pretty but a challenge to walk in.

John... Thank you. I'm hoping the eagles will be around for the rest of the month so I can head out again.

[Shadowman]

Christina,

If no eagles perhaps some snow owls. There have been some spotted in my area, the exact location is a bit far for my 70-300mm lens so I might have to utilize the teleconverter.

[NorthernFocus]

Nice set, Christina. You were shooting long enough glass that the angle isn't bad at all for shooting a bird perched above you. In nos.3 and 4 it isn't evident at all that the bird is elevated.

In the way of critique:

1. This one IMO is the best pose of the lot. A slight crop off the left side might be beneficial.

2. Something is a bit different with the processing on this one. It almost looks like it is a bit hazy. WB, saturation, and contrast look better in on no.1 IMO.

3. Best techs on the bird itself. Crazy detail.

4. Technically well executed. No eyes and nothing really distinctive in the behavior. Preening, shaking, etc, can be interesting but really need something unique about the shot to be so.

No whining about the snow. Put you boots on and get back out there (this from someone who doesn't shoot in the winter)

[Rita]

Really nice Christina. I particularly like the detail in the feathers. One of my dream images is a good one of an eagle in flight. I have lots of them stationary but no good shots in flight yet. They are hard to catch in flight, at least I think so. One time I saw an eagle perched in a tree so I set my camera up and waited. An hour and ten minutes later someone came by and spoke to me. My eye came off the tree for a second and when I looked back the eagle was gone and nowhere to be seen.

[AndrewMcD]

At that focal length there was no detail in the sky resulting in a studio backdrop kind of appearance. With that said, I like the blown sky, particularly in #3, as it lends to the kind of illustration feel that I think these images have. There's no sense of birds in the wild, and that is NOT a criticism ---- these images have the look and feel of something I might see in a high quality book of birds. Very well done.

[Nicks Pics]

Of course, any wildlife/bird photographer should be happy to get some good close-ups of a juvenile balled eagle as these! I might mention your high ISO and SS, which resulted in a little visible noise, but since you were set up for flight shots and (and wouldn't have wanted to switch settings so that you wouldn't miss the moment) I'll just assume you knew shat you were doing. It's just a matter of deciding on your priorities for a given photo opportunity. In this case you were saving your opportunity for a flight shot, but these are worth while too.

[FootLoose]

I like the first shot the best, Christina, because you have nailed the eye in that one.

If you hadn't mentioned that you background was blown in the last two, I would have assumed it was snow.

[IzzieK]

I love #1 Christina -- the light at the back of the bird, the pose...all excellent. #2 is almost as good as #1 but I like the look of #1 -- the eyes says it all to you. I know you are disappointed in not being able to catch a BIF here but these are all good shots nonetheless. Well done...

Rita...sorry about your incident. Really sorry...sometimes it is really hard when you have company when all you want to do is concentrate on your shoot, but who will be your mule?

[Stagecoach]

Hi Christina,

Magnificent job !

I'll go for No 1 technically but No 4 I find very appealing, I just love to see birds ruffled up as if they are having a bad hair day

Grahame

[marlunn]

Christina, really nice set, personally I would go with #3, but its a skinny choice as they are all very good and appealing. Well done, going on these I really look forward to seeing the in flight shots

[Brownbear]

Hi John,

I wish! Snowy owls are seldom seen here. When I first moved back (2012) there were a few sighted in Boundary Bay. I keep checking for the bird boards for sightings but no luck. I have yet to even see one.

I used my teleconverter on my 300 mm lens for these shots... it's challenging to get close to Eagles.

Christina,

If no eagles perhaps some snow owls. There have been some spotted in my area, the exact location is a bit far for my 70-300mm lens so I might have to utilize the teleconverter.

[Brownbear]

Thank you, Dan.

I'm especially appreciative of the critique (Eagle Master ) for my learning experience and to improve upon next time.

1. Moving it around in the lytebox I agree with that crop and will do.

2. This image was taken a little later in the day so I processed it differently with (different lighting) on my way back from the trek through meter high snow (up to my hips if I stepped in the wrong spot - which I did a couple of times)... There were fog patches around... So I processed this using a cloudy white balance. When I revisit it I will process it as I did the first image... Thank you, very helpful.

3. Thank you. I have several more just like this one, albeit they are very similar.

4. Thank you for being honest... I'm still swayed by cute and ruffled but yes, no eyes. I'll keep him around for a few months and revisit and decide. I do have one of him taking care of business but I'll spare you that shot. (And he didn't take flight after that)

Here is one with eyes... (Cloudy white balance)



With respect to the snow... I did have my boots on but it seems I need higher boots. I couldn't get down to the edge of the river bank because the going was quite treacherous... I had my moments but then I realized that my trek compared to the trek in the movie "Wild" was child's play. So yes, I'll put my boots back on and head out again.

Nice set, Christina. You were shooting long enough glass that the angle isn't bad at all for shooting a bird perched above you. In nos.3 and 4 it isn't evident at all that the bird is elevated.

In the way of critique:

1. This one IMO is the best pose of the lot. A slight crop off the left side might be beneficial.

2. Something is a bit different with the processing on this one. It almost looks like it is a bit hazy. WB, saturation, and contrast look better in on no.1 IMO.

3. Best techs on the bird itself. Crazy detail.

4. Technically well executed. No eyes and nothing really distinctive in the behavior. Preening, shaking, etc, can be interesting but really need something unique about the shot to be so.

No whining about the snow. Put you boots on and get back out there (this from someone who doesn't shoot in the winter)

[Brownbear]

Thank you Rita. Indeed, I'm trying for a fill the frame tack sharp in flight shot in beautiful light, ideally over water with a fish in it's beak but I'd the first two criteria will suffice for now. I'm having challenges with the tack sharp focus and I'm not sure if it is because of my technique with the back button focus (recent change) or the slower focusing when I use my extender on my lens.

I've had the same happen to me... Best to go where there are no people around. Sending you the best of karma for an in flight shot!

Really nice Christina. I particularly like the detail in the feathers. One of my dream images is a good one of an eagle in flight. I have lots of them stationary but no good shots in flight yet. They are hard to catch in flight, at least I think so. One time I saw an eagle perched in a tree so I set my camera up and waited. An hour and ten minutes later someone came by and spoke to me. My eye came off the tree for a second and when I looked back the eagle was gone and nowhere to be seen.

[Shadowman]

Hi John,

I wish! Snowy owls are seldom seen here. When I first moved back (2012) there were a few sighted in Boundary Bay. I keep checking for the bird boards for sightings but no luck. I have yet to even see one.

I used my teleconverter on my 300 mm lens for these shots... it's challenging to get close to Eagles.

Christina,

Sometimes the best info on sightings come from fellow trekkers who pass the information onto you the same day as the sighitng.

[Brownbear]

Thank you for sharing Andrew. Truly appreciated.

Personally I do like white backgrounds but I think the majority of folks like blue sky. It is especially nice to hear that you like the look.

At that focal length there was no detail in the sky resulting in a studio backdrop kind of appearance. With that said, I like the blown sky, particularly in #3, as it lends to the kind of illustration feel that I think these images have. There's no sense of birds in the wild, and that is NOT a criticism ---- these images have the look and feel of something I might see in a high quality book of birds. Very well done.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Nick...

There were a few other Eagles around landing and taking off from trees, and also on the river which I couldn't get close enough too, and these were the shots I was hoping to get and prepared for. A few shots were taken at f 6.7, SS 1250 but the ISO needed was still 1600 for most shots. Overall, I'm happy with the noise level for these shots, and when I decide on the better shots I will use a little selective noise reduction where needed.

Thank you.

Of course, any wildlife/bird photographer should be happy to get some good close-ups of a juvenile balled eagle as these! I might mention your high ISO and SS, which resulted in a little visible noise, but since you were set up for flight shots and (and wouldn't have wanted to switch settings so that you wouldn't miss the moment) I'll just assume you knew shat you were doing. It's just a matter of deciding on your priorities for a given photo opportunity. In this case you were saving your opportunity for a flight shot, but these are worth while too.