Red-Tailed Hawk in Infrared
I was out shooting around the condo, and was shooting this tree, when a hawk happened by. I played around with the H/S to make it look more like Cherry Blossoms. Some textures from Belle Fleur, and LCE (local contrast enhancements). I really wish I had converted my 5D instead of the 20D. IQ and file size suffers.
It does look like cherry blossoms. The sky is beautiful, and you got the trees perfectly. The lines of the branches are wonderful, and their darker color at the bottom grounds the image very nicely. It would've been very nice without it, but the hawk sure adds something extra.
Jackie,
Greetings. Beautiful! The surprising color in your IR renditions always has me thinking I want one. IQ looks fine at this size (so hush). Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
-Michael-
Hi, Jackie - this is very beautiful!!! The hawk, of course, is the icing on the cake but it would be gorgeous with it. I love your color IR work - I've got my 30D converted to b&w IR but I'm tempted to buy a used camera and convert it to a color IR. If I do, I'll need to pick your brain.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince
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Jackie, I like the composition and soft spring like color palette.
The trees look fabulous in cherry blossom pink! You chose a point that shows wonderful elegant lines of the tree trunks for a graceful composition. I suspect your hawk is really a turkey vulture; it is perfect for a counterbalance in the pale blue sky.
Looks like the 20D did very well for you here -- beautiful effect!!
Anyone thinking about a conversion, check out www.LifePixel.com for a lot of information. You really want a body with Live View as IR focuses differently on the sensor than it will on the focus sensor. In other words, you want to be able to zoom in on Live View and focus manually unless you're willing to get a really OOF image, or willing to have them focus calibrate to just one lens at one focal length. The Hoodman Loupe is perfect for that. Get the rubber band type attachment, or make one from rubber bands) and just leave it on the body. And with many lenses you'll get a center hot spot that is washed-out. That will very with the sensor and is less of a problem on the 5D2 I recently had converted than it was on the original 5D I'd been using.
Thanks for the comments. I have never seen a TV around here in 22 years. And they are usually in groups. But it probably is the first time, just my luck!
Nice use of IR. Not overdone (as a lot of IR is), just right. Beautiful.
I usually am not a fan of infrared, but it works beautifully in this image. I like the composition--the trees frame the sky so we can focus on the bird. The graceful lines of the tree trunks also lead the eye upward towards the beautiful sky and bird. Lovely colors and textures.
The soft pink and blue say spring. The branches add structure and flow. I'm with Nancy relative to the bird as a turkey vulture.
Hmm. Sibley's shows Toronto as being just outside the range of a TV (if that's where you shot this, Jackie). While the color is TV like, who's to say with the IR? A Harrier, Red Tail or Rough-legged could also look like that at that size (methinks) and range well to the north and south of Toronto. I'd be inclined to accept Jackie's id of a Red Tail...
Cheers,
-Michael-
For what it's worth, I have lived here for over 50 years, and have yet to see them here. And yes this was taken just outside the door. A RT frequents this park looking for easy prey, pigeons.Originally Posted by Michael Gerald-Yamasaki
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