Peregrine Falcon Preening

[Loi Nguyen]

I'm a newbie to photography (about 1 year), so glad to see this forum. I came across this peregrine falcon in the most unlikely place -- on the beach! It was close to the mouth of the Santa Clarita River in Southern California, so I suppose that was why he was there. He perched on a dead branch about 12 inches from the ground. I gave him a wide berth to get a good angle on the early morning sun. Then I crawled on my belly and managed to get within 25 yards of him. The branh had some distracting elements, so I chose to crop tight. Appreciate your comments.

1DX
500mmf4 II
2X iii
1/800
f11
ISO-400
+2/3 EV Evaluative Metering

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Loi,

The field techniques are outstanding,..just great Artie would be proud,..crawling on belly to get the shot! I like it, is a bit tight IMO and I would either crop a small layer from the bottom or fill in with the clone tool. Was this HH with a 2x? Nice detail and again field techniques stabilizing the kit on the ground. The image might be about 1/3,..1/2 stops underexposed too. On balance, this is a very nice picture, you show us something we rarely see and that alone makes it a compelling shot. Might lighten the area between the neck and eye as well.


Your heart had to be beating a million times a minute as you got closer and closer and closer,. just a great moment thank you for sharing. Welcome to ETL and thanks for detail on how you approached the shot, good lesson for us all.

[John Chardine]

Hi Loi- Well done. Peregrines are not easy subjects. However, their comebacks means they seem to be everywhere these days and eating everything in sight.

I would like to see more of the eye in this bird. Also the image is super-contrasty on my calibrated monitor. I would try to bring out more of the detail in the shadow areas, particularly around the head. As you mention, the crop is tight.

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Jeff and John

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I will have to breakdown and get myself a monitor -- anything you would recommend?

As for the crop, I have tried from supertight to not crop at all. The reason is there are a few distracting sticks at the bottom of the branch. This time I attempted to clone them out. My PP skills are rudimentary at best.

So here is a Re-Post

Cloned out a few branches at the bottom.
Reduced contrast
Restore highlights to nominal value
Less crop
Increased the Shadow and Dark levels in LR a little bit
I did try to lighten the area around the eye a little bit with a selective brush, but not sure what else to be done here. Please give me some pointer!

Jeff, I had the rig on a Wemberly V2 and a Gitzo 3530LS tripod with legs fully out so that the whole thing was flat on the ground. Learned this crawling from one of Artie' blog and used it here for the first time and it worked! The bird was not disturbed and I had a good 30 min to photograph him/her. I even had time to swap out the 1.4X II to try out my new 2X III.

It was the first time I took out the 500f4 II and the first time I saw a peregrine falcon in the wild, so it was pretty sweet.

Thank you both!

[Doug West]

Loi...I like your repost. The only thing that's bothering me is that out of focus branch
on the left. It would take some work, but I'd clone that out and rebuild the tail where
the branch once was.

Doug

[Bob Miller]

Loi...I prefer your op with perhaps some canvas added to the Right

[John Chardine]

I like the repost. Int's interesting that I completely missed the missing tail in the OP. It's much better to see the whole bird unless you are going in for a tight portrait on the head.

[Jeannean Ryman]

I think I like the repost best and am sure it looks even better at a bigger size. That said, I don't feel a particular connection with the bird. The eye contact is a strong element that's missing for me.

[Loi Nguyen]

I think I like the repost best and am sure it looks even better at a bigger size. That said, I don't feel a particular connection with the bird. The eye contact is a strong element that's missing for me.

It was too bad about the eye. I do have other pic with the eye contact as well and will post later. I posted this particular pose since it is a bit unusual for a peregrine falcon to preen itself in such a close range.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hello Loi, great to see you here and I think we must be neighbors. As you can see from my avatar I live in Simi Valley. It's not unusual to see peregrines at the beach, because that's primarily where they live - along the coast. They live along the entire west coast of our continent, from the southern tip of Baja to the northern tip of Alaska. It is a magnificent bird, nice job making the capture. I like the repost for many reasons, primarily because I prefer to see the tail, even if there are other issues when it is included. The OOF branches don't bother me that much, but now that you know where to find these birds maybe you will have a chance to find one on a nicer perch. I like the contrast much better, really shows the plumage in a nicer way I think. The lack of eye contact doesn't bother me at all and I would not expect it in a preening shot. I love the preening shots and feel that they are a peek into a candid moment, eye contact would break the spell for me.

[Sandy Witvoet]

I really like this since it is a "behavior" shot.... like the crop on the repost better than the OP.... easier to view the bird. Lack of eye contact doesn't bother me here. As to contrast.... is there an "in between" #1 and #2? The power of those legs/feet are certainly obvious here.... well, along with the beauty of the raptor. Great work!

[Faraaz Abdool]

Excellent, sharp capture, Loi. I think everyone here has nailed all the comments - the only thing I have to add would be for the repost - the sky colour seems to differ greatly between above the branch and below the branch. Below the branch seems too blue - although I notice the sky colour has a gradual gradation...it just seems to stark a difference for me. Could also be a result of my work monitor. You have the gear that most of us dream of, glad to see you employing the correct techniques too. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Farazz, thank you for your comments. There was a big mountain in the distance background and the ocean and that gave the darker blue at the bottom. I'm away from home on business trip now, but will search the images to see if any photo that could show the outline of the mountain. Yes, I'm very fortunate to be able to have the gear and hope to put it to good use.

[Faraaz Abdool]

There was a big mountain in the distance background and the ocean and that gave the darker blue at the bottom.

Oh ok, well that explains it! No need to get another image to verify, Loi. And you're already putting your gear to good use! :-)

[nancy hazen]

Congratulations on capturing this magnificent bird. They are high on my wish list. So cool to hear how your approach was so careful! Great work.
Nancy