I captured this image in Oxford, Florida along melon fields that had been harvested. The fields were being plowed chasing the insects into the air. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.
Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm
1/3200 F/8 Matrix Metering -2/3 EV ISO 320 AWB
Post processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC 2017
Cropped for composition and presentation
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
Very nice Joe! Wishing a softer shadow/highlight transition in the neck but you get a very good flying high pose and it showcased the forked tail really well. Just wishing for a better light.
Nice display of white/black plumage, the classic forked tail. Good head angle.
You could consider a bit of detail enhancer to tease out a bit more detail.
As always, I am a fan of having something in the background to add depth and context. Not always an option, but a couple of clouds would be nice!
Cheers
Randy
Thank you for viewing and commenting. I hear you about something in the background, oh do I wish there were mountains and cliffs in Florida. Once in a while clouds are possible but such a small slice of the sky is captured most times it is not. I'll work with the image to see if I can scratch out more detail in the whites and blacks, really difficult light for that. Every year the Kites gather above the harvested melon fields to feed on the insects attracted by the rotting melons. The light by the time the insects are active is very bright, not kind for the micro contrast needed for fine detail. I knew technically the image was lacking but I have not seen many images of Kites posted. A beautiful bird designed perfectly for what it does... flies with hardly a wing beat, soars riding the air currents. Once again, thanks for viewing and commenting. Very much appreciated.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
Wow, that is a beautiful bird indeed, and you are lucky to be able to photograph it like this. I agree the light was not ideal, and I note the conditions you are confronted at this spot.
Lovely looking bird and image. If the quality holds I would try a tighter vertical crop. I would love to photograph birds as beautiful as this. Well done Joe.
Swallow-tailed Kite
Joseph Przybyla thanked for this post
Originally Posted by Randy Stout
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
