Kite in the wind

[Ian McLachlan]

Last year we were able to get quite close to these young Black Shouldered Kites as there were so many in our neck of the woods. All the same I had the wrong lens on so have had to crop it a fair bit and close to get rid of multiple branches. For all that I like the colours and the windswept look . I know that its just another portrait but here it is in any case. All Comments welcome.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM +1.4x at 280mm
ISO400
F11
1/1000

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Ian, your exposure and color are really spot on for me. The color and contrast are excellent and the sharpness is exceptional. My only thoughts on this image are about the shooting angle and the noise in the sky. With an image like this, it is quite easy to select the sky and run noise reduction software or gaussian blur on it.

[Nekko Hund]

The sharp details in the feathers and colors are excellent. Kerry's suggestion about the angle and sky are very true. You may also want try to lighten up the eye?

[Doug West]

Also, it looks like there is a very, very tiny 'something' on the left hand edge of the image, near the top
that should be cloned out.

Doug

[Ian McLachlan]

Kerrys
Yes I agree about the angle but I'm on the ground and this bird is in the tree and I can do nothing about that and he /she flies away if I move a yard closer. I will do more noise abatement. Much of this noise is about the amount of cropping I have had to do isn't it? Many thanks for this and previous help.
Doug
I missed this bit of many branches which I noticed after I had sent it. You are spot on.
Thanks to all
Ian

[Kerry Perkins]

Ian, in these cases it can be of benefit to actually move farther away from your subject which reduces the angle of your shot. Of course it makes the subject smaller in the frame, but it does help with the shooting angle.

[Ian McLachlan]

Thanks Kerry, will follow that advice.
Ian

[PhilCook]

There are a lot of these around at the moment, just got back from Mannum and must of seen well over 50 of these off the roadsides and there are a lot locally here in the southern burbs as well atm

These birds always perch on the high branches of dead trees so steep angles are the norm with these birds unless you have extreme focal length lenses, so understandable the high angle. The only thing that comes to mind straight away is the eye as it is grainy looking much like the sky. lots of detail showing through however...wicked talons.

[Ian McLachlan]

Phil,

Do you normally send your comments off at 4.48 am?

Ian






Ian

[Bob Miller]

Ian....Despite the noise in the sky I really like this as presented. The feather detail and the sharpness of talons is right on. I also think the eye could be lightened up a bit.

[PhilCook]

Phil,

Do you normally send your comments off at 4.48 am?

Ian






Ian

lol...not likely, I need my beauty sleep.....not sure why you say this though as it says it was posted at 7:18pm which is more like it.