Sanibel Bald Eagle

[gail bisson]

I was at Blind Pass beach in Sanibel at dawn looking for shorebirds. The area was very quiet and I looked down the beach and saw a pair of bald eagles. I couldn't believe my eyes-perhaps my Cape Breton eagles had followed me down south!
They were eating a skate and were totally unconcerned by my presence. This is full frame. This eagle is standing on the skate which is sand encrusted so it looks like he is standing on the sand. Taken just as the sun cleared the trees.
Canon 1DX
F 600 and 1.4x
ISO 800 F 6.3 SS 1/320 on lowered RRS tripod
Very little PP. Levels, boosted saturation of the water by +4, DE to eagle at 3% and USM to JPEG. Cloned out 2 little dark blobs in the sand.
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Ian Wilson]

Great story and a wonderful frame. This guy must have been in holiday mood to let you just walk up and take a snap. Cheers, Ian

[adrian dancy]

I think you should be pleased for this simple but stunning portrait.

[Karl Egressy]

Great clean image, nothing is there to take away your attention from the bird.
Nice low angle shooting, excellent IQ, great light and great pose, Gail.
It reminds me that I had my first BIF image of this species on Sanibel Island.

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely image full of details and I like the pose. Like the pastel 2-tone sky and seeing the tootsies so clearly.

[arash_hazeghi]

Excellent pose, light and details.

[christopher galeski]

nice capture Gail,good pov,good detail's,nice pose.well done.

[Binu John]

Beautiful shot in sweet light, Gail! Love the IQ, composition and the gradient BG! TFS

[Barry Ekstrand]

Gail,

I can only wish to have an opportunity for a great shot like this some day. Everything to like about the result, truly excellent. Well done!

Barry

[Bill Dix]

Great pose, beautiful dawn light and details. Boy, do I miss my trips to Sanibel.

[vishaljadhav]

Wonderful pose and low level shot makes it nice to the eye
lovely details too

[David Salem]

What a great opportunity you had to get this close to such an awesome creature. I would love to see a Bald eagle this close. Terrific detail and exposure control and I like the strong pose and the pastel blue BG. Nice one Gail.

[Satish Ranadive]

Marvelous image of majestic bird with very nice look back. Great low shooting angle. Wonderful colors and details.
Excellent IQ. Love the frame.

Regards,
Satish.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, you nailed the exposure here, and the feather detail on the BE really stands out well. Great low perspective, and the comp works well.

[Grace Scalzo]

I'm impressed with the clarity. Beautiful, clean, nice sky.

[Frank Schauf]

Gorgeous light, comp and pose. Congrats on this one.

[Joseph Przybyla]

As close to perfect as possible... beautiful bird, a beauty of an image.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Indeed a beauty, Gail! Great IQ, subject well exposed, killer BG, well processed and presented-congratulations!

Kind regards,