Bald Eagle's Mating

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10-20-2010, 09:43 PM
Bhushan Dalvi

1 Attachment(s)

Bald Eagle's Mating

 This picture was taken today just before sun down. Everyone had left for the day at our look out. I was the straggler waiting to get that one last shot. Just when I was about to head back home I heard some screeches and the male and female landed on their favorite perch and started the ritual. These are the first Bald Eagle I have ever seen. I guess I got lucky.
Device: Nikon D90
Lens: 300mm F/4 AF-S X 1.4 TC
Focal Length: 420mm
Focus Mode: AF-S
AF-Area Mode: Dynamic
Exposure
Aperture: F/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
Exposure Mode: Manual
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200
Some cropping was done and I cleaned up a part of a tree stump in the extreme left corner.
Thanks for looking.
C & C welcome.

Attachment 80550
10-20-2010, 10:17 PM
Arthur Morris

Despite a steep angle to the birds you have made a very nice image. It's funny with bird photography that the harder you work the luckier you get. I love the light, the raised wings of the male with the killer near-underwing detail, and the two perfect head angles. I will be right back.
10-20-2010, 10:24 PM
Arthur Morris

1 Attachment(s)

Ah, a belated welcome and a big thank you for your membership support. Image quality and sharpness are excellent. You left too much room above and too much below. At the very least you want to minimize the perch. I cropped top and bottom and eliminated one of the extra branches (though I gotta admit that branch that I took out did not look too bad after the crop....)

All in all a very nice image.
10-20-2010, 10:30 PM
Bhushan Dalvi

Artie, thanks a lot. Those words coming from you mean a lot and are a great encouragement for someone new to the bird photography like me.:)
I love the crop you made to the pic. I am always scared to crop too much.
Thanks
Bhushan
10-20-2010, 10:49 PM
Arthur Morris

You are most welcome. Where do you live? Even though you could have posted a larger kb image, the image was sharp enough to hold up to an additional crop. Well done and keep them coming.
10-20-2010, 10:55 PM
Bhushan Dalvi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

You are most welcome. Where do you live? Even though you could have posted a larger kb image, the image was sharp enough to hold up to an additional crop. Well done and keep them coming.

Artie, I live in Houston, Texas. This shot was taken in Baytown, Texas just outside Houston. I had to reduce the quality on this picture to 11 in PS to keep it below 200kb. I have a few more from this series.
Thanks
Bhushan
10-20-2010, 11:00 PM
Arthur Morris

Thanks for the info. Great area for bird photography. It will be hard to top this one. If you use Save for Web and optimize to under 195 kbs it makes things much easier than saving as a JPEG.
10-20-2010, 11:51 PM
Bhushan Dalvi



Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Thanks for the info. Great area for bird photography. It will be hard to top this one. If you use Save for Web and optimize to under 195 kbs it makes things much easier than saving as a JPEG.

Yes. I have recently realized that the Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas are great locations for bird photography. Hope I make good use of these opportunities.:)
I will remember the resizing tip for the next time.
Thanks
Bhushan
10-21-2010, 12:13 AM
Dumay de Boulle

Like the light and the detail..Nice exposure..Prefer Arthurs crop...Nicely done Bhushan
10-21-2010, 09:29 AM
Bhushan Dalvi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dumay Boulle

Like the light and the detail..Nice exposure..Prefer Arthurs crop...Nicely done Bhushan

Thanks a lot. I agree with you. Artie's crop looks much better.
10-21-2010, 10:05 AM
Stu Bowie

Hi Bushan, sweet afternoon light, and those who are patient, reap the rewards. The warm colours from the light look great, and just love the posture of the eagle on top with the extended wing. An opportunity well used, and well done.
10-21-2010, 11:47 AM
Sidharth Kodikal

Sweet light and great action. Love the extended wings and head angles on both birds. Love Artie's repost.
Hey, Baytown is just 4 hours away from me. May I ping you for co-ordinates if I'm in the area?
10-22-2010, 04:17 PM
Bhushan Dalvi

Stuart and Sidharth, thanks a lot. Sidharth, check your PM box.