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Thread: Focused in Flight

  1. #1
    BPN Member Mark Needham's Avatar
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    Default Focused in Flight

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Image:

    Long Crested Eagle
    Okavango Delta, Botswana.
    July 2013.

    This wild long-crested eagle was photographed handheld from a boat gliding through the beautiful Okavango Delta in Botswana. On my 12 trips to Africa over the years, I have only seen this species on 3 different occasions, with this being by far the best sighting. I have several images of this stunning bird both perched and in flight (including a wing spread), but I like this bird’s focused posture in this image. Of course, I always prefer birds against a colorful background, as opposed to simple blue sky, but we cannot always get the birds to do what we want. Wild, not baited, no compositional elements changed.

    Equipment:

    Canon 5D Mark 3 camera.
    Canon 500 f4 Mark II lens.
    F5.6, 1/2500, ISO 250.
    manual mode, evaluative metering.
    spot focus.
    handheld from a boat.

    Post processing:

    Lightroom 5.6: basic global adjustments, crop, etc.
    Nik Viveza: a few very minor targeted adjustments.
    Photoshop CS6: additional targeted adjustments, selective color enhancement, resized and sharpened using Hougaard Malan’s actions.
    edited on a color calibrated NEC P241W monitor.

    As always, comments and critique welcomed!

  2. #2
    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
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    Nice look at this awesome raptor in flight. I like the different wing position and how it highlights the focused head. Love the good look at the extended legs showing the feathered tarsus. Sharp and well exposed. Well done.
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  4. #3
    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Mark:

    Thanks for the background info, always adds a lot to my appreciation of an image.

    Nice framing of the face by wings, extended legs, sharp.

    For personal taste, I might try a version with him higher in the frame.

    Yes, appreciate the 'blue sky' issue.

    Cheers

    Randy
    MY BPN ALBUMS

    "Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy" Sir Isaac Newton

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  6. #4
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    Lovely image Mark, colours and detail look good to me and altogether well exposed, very nice set on the blue sky. Hope you are well

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Mark - great sharpness and pov. Like Randy, I'd like to see a version with him higher in the frame and more room below.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    The wing position might not be ideal but I like the well defined and sharp head, legs and tail.

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  12. #7
    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Mark, I like the concentrated stare ahead, and although the wings are not in a full down stroke, I do like the show of the primaries as captured. Well exposed, sharp, and agree moving him up in the frame wont harm the image. Im fine with the sky BG.

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