White-tailed Eagle

[Sindri]

Hi all

This is my first post here so I think a short introduction is in order.
My name is Sindri Skulason and bird photograpy is my passion. There, I said it...;)
Spent some time this summer photographing White-tailed Eagles. Guess you could say it was my "pet project" this year. To be able to spend time out in the wild photographing these magnificent raptors and enjoying nature in all it's glory is a true privilege I don't take for granted. Really hope my kids will be able to experience the same thing in the future. There are around 65 pairs of White-tailed Eagles in Iceland and that is the highest number for decades. Since they are considered endangered species here and are protected by law you are not allowed to get close to them or photograph them without a special permission from the Enivironment Agency. The White-tailed Eagle was almost extinct in Iceland in the beginning of the 20th century but through hard work their number is increasing again. Please feel free to C&C.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4880075889_423fd16b79_o.jpg

Canon 1D Mark III with 500mm + 1.4x TC, f6.3, 1/800s, ISO 320, EC -0,33

[Arthur Morris]

Stunning sharpness and feather detail. Love the wing position. And with the bird angling slightly away from you the head turn is perfect. I also love the position of the head above the horizon. If you had more room in front of the bird it would do lots of good to add it back.

Please accept a huge BPN welcome and my congrats on a fine image.

[Phil Ertel]

Welcome Sindri, Very nice first post. I like the downward position of the wing as it provides a nice view of the wing. The open beak adds impact and interest to the image in my opinion. Your exposure looks pretty good. However, although not blown the tail feathers look a little bright to me. I would try and tone them down some to bring out a little more detail in those areas. As far as the composition is concerned I would add more space in front of the bird (if you have it) to provide space for it to fly into. Thanks for sharing and I hope you find this site as educational as I have.

[Robert O'Toole]

Welcome Sindri !

Love the feather detail and the open beak is a nice detail. Wing position is good and I also like the soft gray BG. One important detail is that the head is slightly turned towards the camera. Good job!

Good highlight control but the beak would look better a little darker.

With Eagles its important to use at least 1250 th of a second, minimum, and I would recommend manual mode to avoid overexposure.

Very nice thanks for sharing.

Robert

[Randy Stout]

Sindri:

A big welcome to BPN. Expert comments from the crew already. This image radiates power/ vitality and I really like it. The natural history lesson is a bonus. Feather detail is great, loved the curled primaries.
Job well done.

Hope to see many more.

Randy

[christopher galeski]

welcome Sindri,nice first post,next to golden,my favorite eagle,good detail in feathers,nice head turn,nice BG,as been said,bit more canvas on front of image,would be good,but still a magic shot.thanks.

[Sindri]

Thank you all for a warm welcome and for taking the time to give excellent critique. Much appreciated! I look forward to spending more time here.

Best regards

Sindri

[Mike Tracy]

Glad to see you posting here. I have always admired the fine detail you capture in your subjects. I agree with toning down the beak a tad. Position in the frame is fine with me. It would have been a added bonus if you could have had a little more light reflecting up from the water to illuminate his feet.

[Stu Bowie]

Very impressive first post, and although a bit late, I like the overall detail in this. Great show of the near wing, and a good head turn too. Hope to see many more.

[Ken Watkins]

I to am late, I was on holiday when this was posted.

What a first post, I agree with the other comments:cheers::cheers: