Printable View
As they were coming to have some food (where I live, some are people feed them regularly in at least 3 different locations), I had the opportunity to have some close shoots.
http://www.pbase.com/jaimoten/image/...5/original.jpg
-------------------------------
Techs:
Canon EOS 7D + Canon 70-200 f/4 IS USM
f/8, 1/1000, ISO 320, manual exposure @ 200mm
-------------------------------
C&C welcome.
Regards
Jaime:
That is one powerful, sinister looking bird. I think the tight crop really plays that up, works well for me.
Nice detail in the feathers. I might try some subtle lightening of the darker areas.
I like the angle in the frame.
Cheers
Randy
Whoa!! I like the crop too...high impact for sure! Perhaps a a tad dark, and I'm not crazy about your border, but very dynamic image - you took advantage of the opportunity very well.
Great visual impact with the crop and comp!
Agree it's a bit dark in places but that also kind of adds to the sinister feeling for me.
Might be an illusion but tip of the bill and the tip of the bird's right talon look a bit soft?
Far from being sinister or something, these poor beasts (usually up to 200 or even more, half of them on the ground around us when I took the pictures) are always hungry.
As you might know, it is forbidden in my country for farmers to drop dead animals, they have to get them incinerated... which is a pity. There is not in consequence a lot of food available for scavengers.
OTOH, there are several organizations around the country that feed vultures on a regular basis (once a week/once every 2 weeks) so they do not die out... sort of weird if you ask me. They could live on dead animals in the first place!
These vultures have become smart, they know when it is the day that they get some food brought in, and they even know the cars and the people that bring the food!
Same with hunters. During the months that hunting is allowed, they have shown that they know the cars of hunters (who leave behind guts and waste that serves well for vultures, and even the whole hunted beasts if they get too many). Vultures seem to detect when there is a squat of hunters in place.
All in all, this particular time, the vultures landed and started feeding *before* we even got inside the hides, they were starving and couldn't care less about us, humans there... just a feeding spree.
We were soon surrounded by frenetically eating vultures and more kept coming all the time. Far from sinister, they provoked a weird feeling on me.
I mean, it is amazing how powerful they are in its own way, flying hundreds of miles on a whim, living in unattainable gorges... and yet so fragile as they are always on hunger, depending on some people to feed them (the situation being like this).
By the way, the 2 people there that regularly feed them, explained to me that they are as harmless as kitten. They have played dead, and no vulture even dared to get too close. Just stay were the food is. This is not sinister :-)
But you are right, the bird in this picture may look sort of sinister.
I didn't want to expose more the dark areas, as this way it is more reallistic and adds to the overall mood. The picture was shot around midday, when the light is really harsh.
About the crop, I also think it is interesting. The uncropped picture included almost the whole wings, but not completely. I wasn't sure about what to do with the picture, yet I liked it. Turns out that it wanted to be cropped this way :-)
About this frame border, I think it is acceptable for most pictures (I have been looking for a border that I like for ages). Maybe this picture simply don't need it...
About the softness in beak and talon: you are right, Mike; I hadn't noticed it until you spotted it. I don't know, I was shooting feeding birds and from time to time I would go for a vulture landing in. f/8, rapid motion, IS on (mode 1)... All I have applied is a 'smart details' thing that comes with the software used to downscale and improve the jpg.
Thanks for dropping by and your comments, they are really useful as they have made me think of the picture again.
I'll go back to my lightroom :-D and try some +exposing on dark areas, maybe some extra sharpening on the beak and talon, don't use frame border...
Regards.
:S3:
Wow fabulous IMO, but agree some parts a bit dark. Pose is awesome as is framing.
Envious indeed; was lucky enough to see several hundrds skyward in Portugal last year
Jaime, Aside from lightening the face a bit this looks superb to me. Sharp with a great pose.
Richard, Arthur, thanks for looking and for the encouraging words.
Best
