Sharp-shinned Hawk

[Alan Murphy]

Sharp-shinned Hawk- juvenile

Smith Point, TX

D4, 300/2.8, ISO 640, f5, 1/5000

My new eBook that I released today has step by step instructions on how I got this image. I shot this a couple of days ago using a decoy owl.

[Don Nelson]

Excellent image.
Your new ebook is outstanding.

[Satish Ranadive]

Absolutely superb flight shot.Lovely HA.
Love the wing position with beautiful design,great details,fanned tail feathers and composition.

Regards,
Satish.

[David Salem]

Awesome shot. The accipiters must really hate that owl. Great in every way!! Detail is very nice, can count every feather on her back. Nice work.

[Robert Holguin]

Superb image!!! Love the pose, excellent details, and nice light.
Very well done.

[Carl Day]

Perfect Alan. Love the pose and details you've captured, well done.

Carl.

[Allen Sklar]

I am in awe of this image! Just perfect.............

[gail bisson]

Simply superb! My jaw is still on the floor...
Gail

[Randy Stout]

Alan:

Lovely shot in all regards. Now that you have had considerable experience with both the D4 and D800, could you share your overall impressions, particularly for BIF, but also for general bird work?

Cheers

Randy

[Bill Dix]

Wing and tail spread just superb, and the detail is spectacular. And I love the look he is giving your owl. Wonderful image.

[Karl Egressy]

Wow, this picture is the quintessential banking pose of any raptor, that is. Fantastic shot, Alan.

[Shawn Zierman]

Totally sick! You just posterized this handsome little accipiter...
You are THE trendsetter without a doubt.

[Munish Kaushik]

Super shot this one. What a wing spread, fanned tail & HA. Love it.

[Nico Steenberg]

What a pose ! Subject is sharp and well exposed with great sharp detail. A super shot !

[Alan Murphy]

Alan:

Lovely shot in all regards. Now that you have had considerable experience with both the D4 and D800, could you share your overall impressions, particularly for BIF, but also for general bird work?

Cheers

Randy

Hey Randy, big question. Although I love the frame rate, the high dynamic range and clean noise of the D4, I find myself using the D800 more and more for BIF. You give up a few frames a second, but the ability to crop and still have great IQ is so very tempting. 36MP at clean ISO 800 is a great thing. So, to sum it up. Low light, I use the D4. Setups, Hummer multi flash, and shorebirds I use the D800. BIF when the birds are small or far away, I use the D800. When I have dependable action at a given distance, I use the D4. Hope that helps.

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent top side view with wicked pose. wish this was mine.

looking froward to reading your eBook.

[gareth thomson]

Hi Alan: I ran into a guy this summer shooting a D4 and 300 2.8, and he complained the lens was soft. Must have been his copy, 'cause your shot is really sharp. Very cool. Compliments on a great capture and comp. (gt)

[Randy Stout]

Hey Randy, big question. Although I love the frame rate, the high dynamic range and clean noise of the D4, I find myself using the D800 more and more for BIF. You give up a few frames a second, but the ability to crop and still have great IQ is so very tempting. 36MP at clean ISO 800 is a great thing. So, to sum it up. Low light, I use the D4. Setups, Hummer multi flash, and shorebirds I use the D800. BIF when the birds are small or far away, I use the D800. When I have dependable action at a given distance, I use the D4. Hope that helps.

Thanks Alan:

I was thinking along those lines myself. However, I do so much low light shooting with the loons, that the D4 is the best compromise for me, at least for now. Will you look at the D400 when it comes out, or is your D800 your DX machine now?

Cheers

Randy

[Doug Brown]

Excellent flight pose, and some useful insights for the Nikon shooters on BPN. Look forward to checking out the new ebook!

[Alan Murphy]

Thanks Alan:

I was thinking along those lines myself. However, I do so much low light shooting with the loons, that the D4 is the best compromise for me, at least for now. Will you look at the D400 when it comes out, or is your D800 your DX machine now?

Cheers

Randy

If and when the D400 comes out, I will take a good look at it. It needs to be bigger than 15MB (hopefully in the 20'MPs), clean noise and 10 FPS for me to be tempted.

[Randy Stout]

Alan:

My best guess from the various internet sources is that it will use the same sensor as the D3200, which is very good, 24 MB, but I can't imagine they will get 10fps out of it. 8 would be more likely. I could live with that, better ISO and dynamic range (which this sensor has) and the build of the D300.

Hope to know early next year.

I figured Nikon would have you doing beta testing already! I keep waiting to get that call, but nothing yet

Cheers

Randy

[Frank Schauf]

Really nice flight shot and great details, Alan.

[mohammad reza shahab]

hi Alan
Excellent flight pose,light and details.

[David Alaniz]

Excellent pose and spread. Love the shot. Just bought your ebook and couldn't put it down. I was planning on driving to Smith Point Sunday morning to look around after the front comes through. Not sure if most of the migration is over.

[Alan Murphy]

Excellent pose and spread. Love the shot. Just bought your ebook and couldn't put it down. I was planning on driving to Smith Point Sunday morning to look around after the front comes through. Not sure if most of the migration is over.

Hey David, Hawks will be migrating through Smith Point until early Nov. Regards, Alan

[Arthur Morris]

Just for the record books, , I wrote the foreword for this amazing eBook. You can read the foreword and check out four large images from the book here and a few more by scrolling down here. The red-wing in the second link might very well be Alan's sickest image ever....

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Stunning details, pose and eye contact.