Red kites fighting

[Ivan Ellison]

Not been out much recently as just recovering from double hernia op. Hope to get more decent pics as spring progresses before I return to work.
I visited the Harewood area of W Yorks yesterday with a view of getting some kites in the snow. I disturbed 5 kites at the side of a field feeding on a dead hare- hare appears to have been trapped in fence and finished off x the kites. I moved the hare into the field slightly and set up using my car as a hide with camo netting over the windows. Started off with bare 500 and then added 1.4 conv as I had a very confident kite feeding well for 25 mins. You can guees that I was not expecting a second kite to challenge the first and consequently missed wings tips and tail.
Does it make a decent pic without the tips and the tail or is it one for the bin.
Very slight increase in exposure. sharpened and cropped approx 15% from the left to lessen the dead space. Sharpened again for web.
Canon 1DmkIV
Canon 500 f4 is + 1.4 conv- mistake.
1/1600
f8
ISO 500

[Karl Egressy]

Great interaction. I wish that both birds fit in the frame. I guess you wish the same.

[Loi Nguyen]

great action shot! Love the expression on the first kite. The second kite's eye is a little soft on my monitor. Also, I can't see much details on the snow, but not sure if it is my monitor or not. TFS. Loi

[Richard Unsworth]

Hi Ivan

converter = mistake lol but you still got a shot of this great action.
Snow is much too bright for me; some very nice details within the birds, lh birds head might sharpen
Its hard very hard sometimes....

[Jonathan Ashton]

I think the exposure is good, you have caught the action well, I think you feel the image is missing the rest of the bird's features, and I do too. Manual metering can prove a life saver in the snowy conditions where the ratio of snow to subject can vary considerably.

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent fight pose you have captured.
I personally do not mind about missing wing and tail tips, since the image is full of action here.
Love the HA,colors and environment.

Regards,
Satish.

[adrian dancy]

Excellent image Ivan No problems with the crop. Is this going on the wall?

[Ivan Ellison]

It may make an appearance on the wall- if Julie approves!