Good things come in three! I was lucky to get three youngsters in a single frame. I hope you like it. This image must be viewed at full HD size for visibility of fine detail.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV 840 mm f/5.6 1/3200 sec ISO 400.
I want to come and play in your backyard!!
The light and, of course, IQ are superb. I like the behavior portrayed.
I wish the middle kite was in a better position so we could see the eye and right wing more. I would also blend/dodge the brown branch in LLC.
Gail
thanks Gail, for these series I have chosen not to touch anything so I can submit these for competition (some do not allow any manipulation of BG). The key here was interaction between the two kites in the left and the "observer" kite in the right. The flying kite originally came to land but the perched kited denied permission by making the appropriate call and showing he was ready to fly and confront the intruder. It almost looks like he has pointed his *hand* (wing) and is shouting "go away!" I was really lucky to get three of them sharp.
BTW, it takes an hour to approach the kites and you need to be on foot and mobile with all your rig...
Last edited by arash_hazeghi; 09-05-2012 at 04:43 AM.
Arash, the image is incredible. I'm glad to see them all in focus as well. Great shot. I just looked through your site and can say that you have more that are just as good!
Pretty tough to get three birds to cooperate, and all in the same plane. Great interaction captured, and what a fantastic spot you've found. Gail's point is well taken, that in a perfect world I could imagine a slightly better position for the middle bird. But this is pretty close to perfect.
What a killer image and story you have here, Arash. I would guess that the orange speckles on their chests denote the young age just like with the Swallow-tailed Kites. Love the attitude of the middle sibling. Your hard work paid off.
What a killer image and story you have here, Arash. I would guess that the orange speckles on their chests denote the young age just like with the Swallow-tailed Kites. Love the attitude of the middle sibling. Your hard work paid off.
thanks Marina, the juvi's have dense speckles they start loosing them the first winter. Adults have almost no pattern, the look like a pillow and a pair of ruby red eyes :D
Arash, the detail is amazing ! Super light. I saw my first white-tailed kite while in SD last week, but too far for anything other than ID. Great looking birds. Awesome detail too, sharp as tack. Thanks for sharing