I was very fortunate to get within 20 feet of this gorgeous raptor.
The Okavengo Delta in Botswana is a series of wide and narrow channels lined by papyrus reeds and fields. Every so often, there will be a little sandy area about 10 to 20 feet long and 3 to 5 feet deep where birds will land. What usually happens is that you are motoring up or down the river, come around a bend and you will see birds on a little beach but as soon as they see/hear you they fly away.
This time, we cut the motor before the bend and drifted with the current down towards the little beach and saw this eagle. He was absolutely unconcerned about our presence as we drifted directly towards him. Eventually our boat scraped the bottom of the "beach" and he/she flew off ( I only got butt shots of that!)
Almost full frame
ISO 400
SS 1/2500
f 6.3
Canon 1D MKIV, f 500mm
PP: Crop from bottom and right ~20%, NR on BG, added a sliver of canvas up top and sharpened very lightly with USM at 45%, 0.3 pixels.
Comments and critiques always learned from and appreciated with thanks,
Gail
Should I add catchlight?
Hi Gail, interesting story, as I havent been up that way. Good low angle from the boat, and you have exposed the FE so well, especially the whites - sharp too. These are really magnificent looking birds. You may have done it already, but I would try and tease a touch more out of the eye.
Love this shot, great detail, you have kept the deatil in the white well and it looks very strong light as well. The pose is great , you were lucky with the bird staying put, probablyb down to good fieldcraft x the guides. As Stuart says a little more in the eye would help, however I think this a very strong image.
I worked on the eye. I simply did a quick mask of the eye and increased the exposure by 1 stop, then darkened the pupil a bit. There is a tiny catchlight in the RAW that I hadn't noticed.
The bird looks terrific and I like the pose a lot.
Since this is FF, you can't do much, (unless you want to add more canvas),
but more room above and a bit off the bottom would look nice for me.
What a great opportunity Gail - A wonderful story-telling image of this superb raptor drinking. You have exposed well, getting good detail in the whites while still retaining detail in the darker plumage. Dan has already commented on the composition.
Yes I personally would add a catchlight to the eye otherwise it appears as an empty socket.
Last edited by John Cooper; 11-17-2012 at 08:18 PM.
Impressive creature. You did well with that light, and I think your repost on the eye was necessary. You've got some obvious repeat patterns happening in the ULC, but otherwise a nice image.
The very first thing I noticed was the great details in the white and darker colours as well. The image quality is fantastic.
Love the drinking pose and the colours are great. I picture you can be proud of, Gail.
Great capture ,Gail ! . I Like the feather detail . A pose cetainly not often see in a FE ( never seen it myself ) . Yes, there is a surprise around every bend .... literally . Seems you really enjoyed your trip . Looking forward to see more.
Great low-angle from the boat, Gail. I like the catch-light in the repost. I would also try to desaturate the small amount of blue/cyan in the whites if you prefer.
African Fish Eagle drinking
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