Snail Kite
Went to a local lake to photograph Snail Kites last week. Only had about an hour (last hour of the day), didn't get any good flight shots but this guy let us get very close.
From a boat, overcast day
Canon 7D - 70-200 f4 IS
200mm
ISO 200
f/6.3
1/125
very little crop
light sharpening in Lightroom
Last edited by Peter Kes; 11-24-2012 at 06:41 PM.
Eric,
Nice detail for 1/125 and in a boat - well done you must have braced to take the shot. As a general, I do not like photographs of birds on the ground with grass, leaves, dirt and branches around usually too busy for my taste. You did better than most with this one though wish the branch was not intersecting with the head - so it goes.
I would consider cropping some from the bottom (and is it a bit off level) and try and remove or minimize the branch,...look over the frame for opportunities to clean and fill in adding balance to the frame. Then, repost and lets see what we end up with. This is a nice subject, strong looking and such a regal pose. Nice field techniques using a boat - thanks for sharing.
Regarding the branch try simple methods first healing brush and cloning tool.
ps - this is a real interesting subject one I do not often see - thanks!!
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 11-24-2012 at 08:55 PM.
Eric:
Beautiful shot of snail kite in environment.Nice looking bird,never seen before.Nice lights and exposure.
Great advice by Jeff Cashdollar.
Satish.
Eric....nicely sharp ....but needs a simpler bg for best composition....if you have CS5 or better you can use the healing brush set to content aware to remove the distracting limb...an easy fix. Hope to see more of your work!
I really appreciate all the advice. I do have CS5 but I am very much a novice. I tried to get better shots of birds on isolated perches and in flight but it didn't work out. I'm only 20min from the lake so I'll certainly try to get better shots.
I worked on the photo and it's certainly not perfect but I'll keep working on removing the branch for my own practice.
What a great forum, I've learned a ton just reading posts for the past few weeks and I look forward to improving my photos by participating.
Here's the updated version. And I'll get back out to see if I can get a better shot that's not so busy.
Hi Eric, as mentioned above the BG is very busy. However, you captured the bird wonderfully with nice exposure, detail, and color rendition. I like the pose and head angle. I would tone down the bright area on the leg. Hope you can get some images of this bird with a cleaner BG! Looking forward to more.
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson
Please visit me on the web at http://kerryperkinsphotography.com
I think you did very well with what you had to work with here, Eric, which was a busy environment. It's a nice environment capture and the inclusion of the apple snail and a nice angle on the bird are big pluses. If this were mine, I would not consider removing the branch. I would be getting back out there and trying to get another capture with a different background. That said, this one works well and has a lot to say.
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