This is the juvenile peregrine from before: A rather tight shot of this little ball of feather trying to isolate the calling behavior. I joked with a friend whom I went with shooting this family of falcons that this must've been its way of throwing a tantrum when the parents took forever to come back with food. I am not sure if the head angle is ideal because it looks like the bird is looking at something behind the viewers.
Shooting techs: 450mm (Tamron 150-600), f/8.0, 1/1250, ISO 2000.
Processed this with -0.15 on the exposure, lower highlights and up shadows (both by about half way) and then the usual whites up and blacks down to add back contrast. Added Vibrance +33 to give it a little punch (Overcast day).
This is so cute Adhika. Look at his tongue! I see what you mean. He looks like he is looking past you. Love the little pink flowers in the FG. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel the LHS of him looks a tad soft? but that really doesn't bother me, because his face is the priority.
WOW! I've never seen a shot quite like this one -- wonderful to get so close. The head angle works beautifully for me, as he is very intent on something and I feel whatever it is is just over my shoulder. But I would never make a good cop.
The open mouth is wonderful! I'm wondering if you might bring the darkest tones down just a little, or maybe add a bit of Clarity. Always a quandary with foggy light.
Do birds have tantrums? I have some shots of a juvie osprey appearing to do just that, with a very ragged piece of leftover fish that is all skin. Getting fed enough is a big deal when you're a teenager.
Stunning. If I had the opportunity to make this shot, I would need at least 5 stops of image stabilization for my shaking with anticipation.
Even at 450mm, you must have been quite close. And you wonder why the bird is fussing. It wants more room. And I concur. Perhaps a bit all 'round. Some of my favorite details: the whitish feathers just in front of the left wing, the tiny pink flowers that Glennie pointed out. Your POV. Were you on the ground?
I would like to see a bit more contrast. Perhaps the blacks almost all the way black and bump up the whites. I don't see any risk of plugging or burning. That big light background might make the histogram show a lot of light, but the tones on the bird seem well within range to the extent they might allow more extremes.
If I had made this, it would be one of my keepers. Something I would want to spend a lot of time getting it just so.
Thanks everyone! It was wonderful being with this juvenile that was not bothered by my being a few feet away from it. It was so easy to find out where this one was just by hearing its call.
I have a few other shots with it positioned at various different positions in the frame. I got to this one first. I thought I want to showcase the tongue in this case. I agree with Warren that a tad more on the RHS would help the picture. I am wondering if it would be easy to extend at the bottom (ground area being so textured and stuff).
Adihka there is something so special about peregrines i'm so jealous I have always adored them. Jim expressed all this way better than i ever will be able to, sure i'd like a bit more space,but really i'd settle for just being there like you were.
Feed me, feed me!
