Bald Eagle in Flight - Almost

[Brownbear]

One of my goals for this year is to capture a beautiful (perfect) shot of a Bald Eagle in flight.

I'm finding in flight shots of Eagles to be especially challenging for the obtaining sharp focus, balancing the exposure (dark and white colouring), wing positions, and flying into the frame or at least sideways. Finding these birds and having the patience to wait for them to fly adds to the challenge.

Following are two images that I managed yesterday, although not quite my goal shots, the first image is my best inflight shot of an eagle to date. Likely the result of waiting for a day with better light (cloudy and bright vs fog/rain) and ditching my 1.7 extender because it seems to make focusing on these birds in flight extra challenging especially in low light. Also exposing to the right as far as I can figure out/manage to minimize noise. (And also from viewing Dan's (Northern Focus) eagle images, reading this eagle threads and following his advice)

Photographed about an hour before sunset... WB Auto warm, and warmed up a little in post processing. I suspect that the tail feathers look a little bit pink?


Focal Length 300 mm SS 1/1600 f/4 ISO 1000
(I could've use a lower shutter speed but I was playing it safe)

#1


The above image is my favourite of the two... Alas, I clipped the wings so I cropped the image closer which made it centered...


#2



No clipped wings but flying away from me instead of towards me...

Basic processing in LR, used an un-sharp mask in Adobe Photoshop to sharpen just the bird, and a layer mask to darken the highlights on the Eagle's head and the tail (in one of the images...) No noise reduction in the first image, noise reduction (20% opacity in the shadow areas of the 2nd eagle simply to see if it makes a difference)

I'm sharing as a motivation for myself to improve and hopefully sometime this year 300+ days remaining I will post some better eagle in flight shots... And also for others who will hopefully learn a little something from my challenges.

Goal shot for this year is an Eagle in Flight, flying into the frame with no clipped wings (beautiful light)... (an eagle with a fish in its beak flying low over gorgeous water will likely not happen until 2016 )

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Christina,

These'll do to be going on with

No seriously - I actually like the first one because it has the clipped nearest wing - it gives a more intimate, close up feeling to the shot.

Although the tail feathers do look a bit pink, I don't believe there's significant WB error because the head and neck do look white.

Well done and keep at it, Dave

[Barnwell]

I like the second photo better since the wing is not clipped. The eagle's head and eye is still clear and you get a good sense of the aerodynamic shape of the bird.

[flashback]

I'm with Dave on this one, #1. Maybe it's that most of the near wing is visible while the tip is cropped, while on the far wing, most of that wing is not visible other than the tip; roughly what's missing on one is visible on the other. Asymmetrical symmetry? So for me, #1 works very well.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Christina,

Well done ! Both great shots and the clipped wing on No 1 certainly does not bother me.

I'm failing to see any pink to the tail feathers, but I have just had yet another computer re-build and not sure I'm 'seeing' things near enough right yet

Grahame

[NorthernFocus]

Hi, Christina. Well you are definitely getting your techs worked out so that you can take best advantage of opportunities when they come along. You're putting the capabilities of your gear to good use. The feather detail on both white and dark feathers is excellent. And the eye on the first image is tack sharp. It does look like the red channel could be tweaked down a tiny bit on the white feathers. Not grossly though. The tails on many of them are often soiled and fairly orange looking. The head is the better judge. But if you want to "correct" to what viewers expect then the tail could be whitened a good bit.

Shots like the second one where the bird has passed work OK if the bird is looking back to fully reveal the eye. Even then some pro shooters would likely say it breaks the "rules". To which I say.... something unpleasant, use your imagination.

It's ironic that you took the extender off and then got so close that you clipped the wings. Those are the things that keep us shooting

[pnodrog]

Just a bit of panel beating needed. Grab a panel from another car bend it a bit and tack it on..... Totally banned for Natural History shots.

[Brownbear]

Thank you to everyone for your replies, encouragement, and for sharing your thoughts and preferences (and why) and helpful tips. Truly appreciated.

Dan.... A very special thank you to you! I was delighted to see the sharpness of the eye on the first image, as it means I can do it with eagles in fight if I give up my extender. With respect to the white balance my preference is too keep the warm natural light but the tail feathers looked a bit pink... I will visit the red channel for the learning exercise.

L. Paul... Definitely not allowed in nature photography! That being said I can't believe how well you did this with a small image. It would likely take me a week to do and I couldn't do it half as well. That said I also intend to explore bird art where anything goes... So I will save this image for future bird art... Perhaps I will enhance the pink in the tail feathers a definite pink. For now I will keep working on capturing my eagles in camera.

[Nicks Pics]

Congratulations! Very Close! ( just a wee bit too close! ) They are good images anyway! Very nice exposure. I am not personally seriously offended by the cut off wing, it reminds me of how cinematographers often fill the frame a little "too much" to make the scene more immersing or something. Though in this case the image doesn't quite work that way, in my opinion, because there is no BG, due to the overcast sky. Maybe you will get some sun to work with in a few months.

[Rita]

Christina, a very worthy try here

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, both captures well worth adding to your collection.

[Barbara Ponder]

Christina nice job!

[IzzieK]

As with the noise and everything else, well done Christina. I am glad you learned from Dan, too...I will certainly watch for your eagle shots as I wanted to learn from you and from Dan's BIF shots of these patriotic birds.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Nick, John, Barbara and Izzie!

Nick... There were patches of blue sky around and I could bring them out by lowering the highlights. Indeed I tried after reading your reference to cinematographers but the pale blue sky and clouds are kind of blah... We've had so much rain that the Eagles are hiding in the trees along the inner estuaries in the forest instead of the main rivers in BC... I'm told that this is because the spawning salmon are too hard to get at/washed away in the high water.

Izzie... I will be trying one more time this month but its pouring rain again and very few eagles around, but I will try once more this month.

[purplehaze]

Great job, Christina. However short these may fall of your ambitions, they impress the heck out of me.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Janis, truly appreciated.

FYI I've learned so much from you since you've started posting, and I will be following your project 52 as one day I would like to learn how to use artificial lighting and flash... Not for birds and wildlife but for flowers. Thank you for sharing.

Great job, Christina. However short these may fall of your ambitions, they impress the heck out of me.

[Bobobird]

Congrats on getting some nice shots. Maybe not what you want but good enough until you do get what you want.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Bobo... Truly appreciated, and I have almost a year to keep trying.

Congrats on getting some nice shots. Maybe not what you want but good enough until you do get what you want.

[Brownbear]

A couple of more Eagle in flight shots that are decent enough to share. Still not the shots I'm aiming to capture but because capturing a shot that I adore is my goal for this year, this thread serves as motivation for me to keep trying.

SS 1/1600 f 7.1 ISO 450 Focal length 500 mm (300 mm lens with 1.7 extender) The eagle was perched in a very tall tree, and it was a sunny morning so I just did my best with it.

#3

I like the wing position and light on the wings but missed the tail feathers and I wish the eagles head was lifted up just a tad.



#4

This one I'm happy with for the sharpness of the Eagles eye and the light on her head but unhappy with the heavy shadow beneath the wings. Lifting the shadow too much introduces noise and makes the image look over processed.



I arrived at sunrise and waited for the Eagle to fly, which it finally did, 2 hours later just as the sunlight was becoming a bit harsh, easily seen when compared to the first Eagle image I posted (soft light but clipped).

Anyhow, until another day.

[Nicks Pics]

These are interesting. Keep trying for ones you like even better if you want but I'd say you achieved the goal with this! I see what you mean about the angle (and I notice a bit of blur) in the first, and the shadows in the second, but I think #2 at least is a keeper, the shadows don't bother me terribly much. Good job photographing! Sunny conditions aren't a problem for me, I think a blue sky works better than white. It contrasts the eagle well. Do you know of a particular eagle roost near you, or how do you know where to find the birds?