Hey! That's My Fish!

[Jim Neiger]

This image was made during my Bald Eagle workshop last month in Haines.

Haines, Alaska - 1DX, 600mm+1.4xTC, hand held, 1/800, F5.6, ISO 1600, manuala exposure

[Barry Ekstrand]

Jim,

What a great shot, there is nothing not to like about it. It tells a complete picture - wings convey action, snowflakes convey the environment, and the moment is obviously a great one. Congrats on it, I'd love to have that opportunity one day. One question - did you have to tweak exposure in PP or was there the right amount of natural light at ISO 1600, f5.6, and 1/800 sec?

Barry

[keith mitchell]

Jim wonderful action shot that tells the whole story, it's excellent.

[Bill Dix]

Fabulous action captured, Jim. Love the wing positions on both birds, and the habitat. Makes for a great composition. Well done as always.

[gail bisson]

Great action captured.
You got lucky to get this fairly sharp at 1/800! The snowflakes/water droplets help this image.
I feel that the head of the eagle on the left could be sharpened a bit more.How big of a crop is this?
Nice image,
Gail

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent interaction Jim, wish I was there this year too!

[Jim Neiger]

Great action captured.
You got lucky to get this fairly sharp at 1/800! The snowflakes/water droplets help this image.
I feel that the head of the eagle on the left could be sharpened a bit more.How big of a crop is this?
Nice image,
Gail

Thanks Gail! 1/800 is enough to get the eagles sharp in flight, but in this case I was tracking the flying eagle and my panning motion caused the stationary eagle to be a bit soft. I really needed 1/1250 to get both birds sharp. The image was made near the end of the day when it was getting dark. I removed my TC just after this shot so I could get my SS back up to 1/1250. 1/ 1250 (the magic number for eagles) is the minimum needed to get the Eagles consistantly sharp in almost all situations.

[Jim Neiger]

excellent interaction Jim, wish I was there this year too!

Arash, the conditions were poor this year. There was no snow or ice except at higher elevations. There was also alot more water in the river. It was much better in 2012 when you and I went there.

[Jim Neiger]

Jim,

What a great shot, there is nothing not to like about it. It tells a complete picture - wings convey action, snowflakes convey the environment, and the moment is obviously a great one. Congrats on it, I'd love to have that opportunity one day. One question - did you have to tweak exposure in PP or was there the right amount of natural light at ISO 1600, f5.6, and 1/800 sec?

Barry

Thanks Barry,

The original exposure was pretty much what you see in the image. It is important to nail the exposure, particularly when shooting at high ISO. Increasing the exposure in PP will also increase noise and reduce image quality.

[David Salem]

Great looking action shot Jim. I love the look on both of their faces and the out stretched feet look awesome on the incoming eagle. I too wish I had made it with you even if it wasn't on fire. Nice as always BFAM

[Bob Smith]

Amazing image--I love the way the bird with the fish is standing up tall, ready to fight for his dinner.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Jim - Very dynamic image with great interaction. Love the posturing of the eagle on the ground. Agree with discussion about a little more ss would have been ideal.

TFS,
Rachel

[subramanya_ck]

This has so much action packed in it !!