Raven in flight

[Markus Jais]

Raven in flight, Nationalpark Hohe Tauern, Austria.

About 50% crop of original.

EOS 1DX, EF 4/600L IS II, EF 1.4x III, handheld
ISO 1000, f8, 1/1600
Central AF point with surrounding 8 points.
Subject tracking sensitivity -2
Accelerate / decelerate Tracking +2
AF point auto switching +2

Hope you like it.

Some small adjustments in LR 5 to make blacks and background a bit darker.

Any comments welcome.

Markus

[gail bisson]

Hi Markus,
You have a terrific top side view and very sharp as well.
The BG is a lovely green and I like your composition.
There is a significant sharpening halo around the entire bird -which is an easy fix. One trick that I have learned is that when I select my bird for sharpening I make sure that my outline stays "within " the bird. The human eye cannot tell if you have sharpened TO the outermost edge of the bird- but it sure can see an outline that is outside the bird. I think of it as "coloring within the lines" and make sure my selection is always within a couple of pixels inside the edge.
I am also seeing a purple /blue cast- another easy fix in color balance.
A very good shot that is worth making minor tweaks to elevate it to an excellent image,
Gail

[David Salem]

This is a fantastic capture of my favorite Corvid. I used to have a pet one when I was a kid named Rale for a few years. An inquisitive and mischievous bird for sure.
I have been trying for years to get a descent flight shot of one. You would think that because they are so common that it would be easy, but getting them in the right pose at the right angle is critical in getting the blacks looking good.
A nice HA, wing and tail position, nice feather detail and a smooth green BG make for one of the best flight shots of this species I have seen. Wish it were in my files :)
Maybe work on the white sharpening halos around the leading edge of the wings and under the neck. Well done Markus.

[Karl Egressy]

Great top side view, excellent flight shot, Markus. Halo has been mentioned.

[Melissa Groo]

Fantastic job, Markus. I would be overjoyed to get something this good of a raven. The angle and the light bring out such great detail, your exposure was excellent. I agree on the halo and slight color adjustment needed.

[Iain Barker]

Hi Markus

I really like the angle of the shot showing the top of the bird. Great detail in the feathers. Once the halo is fixed I wouldn't be able to fault it.

[dankearl]

Markus,
people have mentioned the minor flaws that are easy to fix.
You have a terrific flight pose and also, superb exposure, a ton of detail in the black feathers and a cool BG.
Very nice.

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent flight pose. Love the superb details in blacks.

Regards,
Satish.

[Jim Crosswell]

Excellent image Markus! I like the top side view, sharpness, exposure and composition.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Markus, a great inflight shot showing the dorsal view very well - love the full wingspread. A great view of the beak too. The smooth BG really helps to make the raven pop, and agree, removing the 'blue' cast wont harm the raven. :w3

[Daniel Cadieux]

You already got some good advice, and I concure. Amazing pose, and good details in the blacks. I'd love a tad more canvas at left...

[Tim King]

Nice topside view showing that steel-blue sheen. Head angle is perfect. Fix that sharpening artifact and it will be perfect.