Gyrfalcon (c)

[Bill Dix]

A few years ago, on the day before Hurricane Sandy hit, The Raptor Project hosted a photo shoot in Cape May. They brought out raptors one at a time and set them up to be photographed. This Gyrfalcon was the first bird they brought out, before the sun had risen. They set him on a rather unattractive perch, so I went for a portrait shot. A beautiful bird that I had not seen before, nor have I since.

D7000, 80-400 VR @ 330mm, ISO 800, 1/320s @ f/6.3 manual, SB-700 @ +0.7 EV.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

A very beautiful bird indeed Bill. Whites are handles great here and the flash is not overworked. I wish the bg were just a tad brighter to help offset the look of the flash (slower SS?).

Miguel

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent portrait.
Superb exposure in whites , great details and very nice composition.Beautiful dark BG.

Regards,
Satish.

[Shawn Zierman]

Awesome raptor...I love these whiter phased gyrs....Composition wise a slight trimming off the top for a 8x10 feel versus a 4x6 feel, is worth exploring....sharpness and details on the subject are razor.

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Beautiful portrait, Bill. Nice exposure and comp wise I had the same thought as Shawn. THere appear to be some cloning artifacts bottom right near your sig.