Photoshop: slight increase in saturation on the background only, reduced the exposure on the white head feathers to bring out some detail & selectively added a tad of sharpening to the eye. Back in Lightroom, I noticed minor spots where the whites where hot & blacks crushed so I made the appropriate adjustments and fine-tuned the crop.
I wish I had reduced the exposure when shot as some details in the head feathers could not be retrieved.
Beautiful in flight capture, it looks like you nailed focus. I think time of day hurt you here as the harsh contrast on the body of the eagle would only have been worsened had you compensated exposure for the whites. If it were mine, I'd patch detail in on the fish and call it a day as the blown areas on the top of the head don't bother me all that much. Also, try flipping it 180*- the viewers eye tends to read left to right, so having the bird fly into the viewers path can make a difference. Nice work!
Comments: I'm jealous! I've never seen a bald eagle in the wild, so for me, this is a super photo. :) I like the idea of adding a bit to the bottom. That majestic bird needs a bit more room. Nice job on the focus and I also like the background.
Okay, here's another shot incorporating the suggestions. Since I had the Eagle in a separate layer in Photoshop, I found it looked better with only the bird flipped horizontally (is that cheating?). Downloaded the NIK software as a trial and it seemed to do a nice job, but $200 seems a little steep for this (any cheaper or free alternatives?). The only thing I didn't do was Randall's suggestion of "I'd patch detail in on the fish" Can you elaborate?
...Jerry
Note to Jeannean, You need to make a trip to Conowingo Dam, Maryland. Those that are counting are estimating there are some 200 eagles looking for fish (Not all at once, sometimes you need to wait 30-45 minutes before once gets close enough for a shot. Other times, there's 4-5 and you don't know which bird to shoot).
Last edited by Jerry amEnde; 11-13-2012 at 03:06 PM.
Hi Jerry- re: patch the detail-since I'm still using Elements, it would be done using the clone tool. Magnify the image, use the clone too to select an area of the fish that would be appropriate to place in the blown highlight and drop it in. For areas that require more work, I typically select the "replace" setting on the tool, fill an area just smaller than desired, then repeat the process using the "normal" setting to blend everything in. Looking at your re-worked image, the hotspot (on the fish) present in the first isn't a concern. The overall image seems to have lost a bit of contrast and saturation on the Eagle, though the shadows look much better- R
PS: Like Jeaneann, I've never seen a Bald Eagle in the wild. Once I heard about Conowingo (earlier posts) I started plans for a 2 day trip. Sandy changed that, hopefully another time.
Last edited by Randall Farhy; 11-13-2012 at 03:51 PM.
Randall, Ahhh... now I understand. On the other hand, it appears that the NIK tool has helped considerably with the hot spot on the fish. I see what you mean (and agree that) the new post needs some more contrast / staturation. I'm pretty sure that was a result of my my inexperience with the NIK tool - there's a contrast slider that I should have been more aggressive with.
Thanks so much for the helpful hints. I don't think I'll make a repost unless more suggestions come in.
Nice one there Jerry just curious why was the ISO at 500? When shooting always set the exposure for the brightest part if you can a great lesson I learned from the zone system. In this case if you where after eagles in sunlight the white feathers will require exposure control. The histogram is your best friend here and there are several options to recover detail as mentioned above. BIF are always challenging and the background is well controlled and muted you get an A+ here. The colors do complement the picture however the subject is too tight and needs room to breath.
On balance, a great moment with nature when I travel to Reel Foot Lake and photograph Eagles my heart is racing 1000 miles an hour - thanks for sharing and keep em coming.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 11-13-2012 at 06:17 PM.
Jeff, my SOP is to set my C1 to AF Point Expansion (the small rectangle with four surrounding points) for Birds in Flight in the sky, and C2 to Single Point AF (the single small rectangle w/o internal dot) for Birds in Flight with background. Default ISO setting: 400. On this day, I started out in low light with ISO's around 1000 and worked my way down as the sun became brighter. For some reason (that I can't recall right now) I stopped at 500 ISO. Of course, when the birds are flying and all **** is breaking loose, it's really, really difficult to get your settings to way you'd love to have them. Is the bird over water? Is it in the blue sky? Is it moving from the sky to a wooded background? All this happens within seconds.
btw: Since this shot I've started experimenting with a new technique. Setting manual to 1/1250 sec (enough to stop the action) and F7.1 (enough to keep the entire bird in focus). ISO is set to Automatic. I know "Automatic ISO" is heresy to seasoned veterans, but initial results are promising.
If there are better techniques than this, I'd love to hear them. Remember all these changes need to be made within a matter of seconds.
...Jerry
btw: Bald eagles are extremely difficult. Since the range between the white and dark feathers is so great, exposure must be near perfect or detail is lost in one or the other.
Last edited by Jerry amEnde; 11-13-2012 at 06:58 PM.
Jerry-I generally shoot full manual, setting exposure for the prevailing light on subject with slight adjustments made for an overall bright or dark subject, IE: predominantly black or white race cars, Egrets etc. This way I'm not at the mercy of the meter, or constantly changing backgrounds. In rapidly changing light (breezy days with clouds or uneven overcast, where the light value reaching the subject varies rapidly-I'll flip to TV mode and deal with it. (shooting RAW leaves decent room for adjustment in post). My only gripes with Auto ISO- you can end up at the high end, and still have erroneous metering dependent on what was being read. Not to say full manual doesn't have it's challenges of course.
What a awesome bird . I too have never seen a non-captive Eagle . For some reason ,I like the first rendition /Direction of flight post . I'm not completely sure why ,tho .
I have been trying to figure out exactly why , and am leaning toward the angel of the shadows and the color of the light .....still not sure why but the mirrored image just doesn't look natural to me . (May just be due to seeing the op ) ...I enjoyed the photo and the suggestions as well as getting to hear the thought process of other members . TFS !
Jerry...Great shot....I prefer the OP. I usually shoot birds in flight in full manual with a shutter speed of at least 1/1600 sec If i can get it and f5.6 or f8 if possible. ISO is around 800 or higher with my D3s ( 1600). The action is fast as you say and I always have lots of deletions. It takes lots of practice. I am planning a trip tomorrow ( monday) to Conowingo and hope to get a shot as good as yours.
Bald Eagle with Autumn Colors
