Flyover

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I photographed this Bald Eagle at Conowingo early in the morning and played around with different crops and liked this one best.

http://www.pbase.com/axelhi/image/119488455/original.jpg

1D3, 500f4, 1.4x, 1/1000s, f/8, manual, ISO 400

[arash_hazeghi]

I am usually not a fan of clipped shots but this one works for me, like the sharpness too.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I am usually not a fan of clipped shots but this one works for me, like the sharpness too.

That's because it is not merely, or accidentally, "clipped"...but rather carefully cut for composition. :cool:

I like the comp too, Axel. I do wish the far wing was lighter, but overall the image works nicely. How much of a crop did this turn out to be? I imagine the eagle was quite close?

[Randy Stout]

Axel:

I am with Daniel here, nice crop, wish I could see more detail in the underside of the far wing.

Randy

[Axel Hildebrandt]

That's because it is not merely, or accidentally, "clipped"...but rather carefully cut for composition. :cool:

I like the comp too, Axel. I do wish the far wing was lighter, but overall the image works nicely. How much of a crop did this turn out to be? I imagine the eagle was quite close?

Thanks, Daniel! I don't have the file here but I think it is about 60% of the frame.

[Norm Dulak]

Axel:

I agree with the foregoing comments, and would further add that simply brightening the picture a bit might increase feather definition on the underside of the far wing. It would also diminish what appears on my monitor to be a somewhat yellowish cast on the head feathers of the eagle. Finally, brightening the image somewhat would decrease the intense blue color of the sky, which from my experience does not generally occur early in the morning at Conowingo.

Norm Dulak

[Stu Bowie]

Sometimes we wish we had movie size computer screens, so images like this can "fit screen" Great close up, and another vote for trying to lighten his left underwing.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Axel, excellent job with the crop. Loved it.

[Manos Papadomanolakis]

beautiful pose/eye contact....warm light!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Axel:

I agree with the foregoing comments, and would further add that simply brightening the picture a bit might increase feather definition on the underside of the far wing. It would also diminish what appears on my monitor to be a somewhat yellowish cast on the head feathers of the eagle. Finally, brightening the image somewhat would decrease the intense blue color of the sky, which from my experience does not generally occur early in the morning at Conowingo.

Norm Dulak

Thanks, Norm. The image looks quite different on my calibrated monitors at home, it seems quite contrasty on an uncalibrated monitor that I'm on right now. I already desaturated the sky 10 points and the yellow is due to morning light.

[John Ippolito]

Color looks fine here for conditions mentioned. I like the detail in the neck, chest and the upper wing. It would be nice if you could pull more out of the other wing. I love flyovers.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Norm. The image looks quite different on my calibrated monitors at home, it seems quite contrasty on an uncalibrated monitor that I'm on right now. I already desaturated the sky 10 points and the yellow is due to morning light.

Axel:

You're certainly right that monitors make a difference in what one sees. So I was careful to say that my perceptions were based upon what I saw using my monitor, which I faithfully try to keep calibrated.

It's a fine and interesting image anyway. And its a good example of the fascinating eagles at Conowingo. It's always worth a trip there at this time of year, to see what the birds are up to.

Norm Dulak

[David Billingsley]

Axel,

I'm easy - like it just the way it is. Wish there were eagles on the Texas coast.

[David Fletcher]

Fabulous design elements to this Axel. and good IQ too. Good stuff!!!

[Ilija Dukovski]

Very powerfull pose and look on the bird. Nice detail on the whites. I like most the way the yellow bill came out here though.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Thanks everyone for comments and suggestions. It's much appreciated and made me wonder after I looked at the image on a different computer which is not calibrated. It looked much too contrasty. This repost is an image that I processed before and it looked a bit washed out on my two monitors at home but certainly has more details in the far wing and the sky looks not as saturated. Which one looks better on your monitor? Thanks!

http://www.pbase.com/axelhi/image/119511026/original.jpg

[Rohan Kamath]

the repost does look better on my monitor...Very nicely composed... Gives that feeling of GIANT raptor power...

-Cheers,
Rohan
__________________________________________________
Conservation begins at HOME... We CAN make a difference...

[Marina Scarr]

The repost looks quite a bit better. The blues are toned down and the added details under the far wing improve and already kick butt image. I LOVE the crop you have chosen here.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I will stay with your second repost. The catch light was very necessary since the one on the first image seemed like the bird was dead. Bringing out some details under the left wing also improved the image. Love the clarity in the breast feathers.

[Clement Francis]

Never seen anything like this before for a raptor, amazing details and eye contact

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks everyone for comments and suggestions. It's much appreciated and made me wonder after I looked at the image on a different computer which is not calibrated. It looked much too contrasty. This repost is an image that I processed before and it looked a bit washed out on my two monitors at home but certainly has more details in the far wing and the sky looks not as saturated. Which one looks better on your monitor? Thanks!

http://www.pbase.com/axelhi/image/119511026/original.jpg

Axel:

Toning down the overly intense blue sky color of the original and brightening the image to reveal more feather detail make the repost better IMO.

Norm

[Kiran Poonacha]

good raptor images make my heart skip a beat, this one sure did.. loved that comp bhai..