Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk

[Joseph Przybyla]

I captured this image at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

Nikon D500
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED, camera and lens supported by a monopod
1/2000 F/8 Matrix Metering EV +2/3 ISO 720 Auto ! WB, image captured at 400mm
Post processed in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop CC 2020 and Neat Image for noise reduction
Cropped for composition and presenatation

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

Nice Background colors, Perch and open bill.

Somehow I see that face is not as sharp as the feet. Might need extra sharpening on the bird to elevate this image.

TFS

[Randy Stout]

Joe:

I like the pose, perch, open bill, exposure. I had the same impression as Krishna about the sharpness of the head. Bill seems fine, but the feathers on the head seem to smooth. Where was your focus point positioned?

Cheers

Randy

[Joseph Przybyla]

Joe:

I like the pose, perch, open bill, exposure. I had the same impression as Krishna about the sharpness of the head. Bill seems fine, but the feathers on the head seem to smooth. Where was your focus point positioned?

Cheers

Randy

Hi Randy, thank you for viewing and commenting. The active focus point was up on the shoulder/lower head area. I think that F/8 would cover both the head and feet with adequate depth of field. Here is a screen capture showing where the active focus point was. Maybe smooth soft feathers?

[Randy Stout]

Joe:

Thanks for posting your focus point. Yes, some feathers are softer than others for sure, but the eye is also a bit soft, so am not sure if that is the explanation here. Certainly fast enough shutter speed that you would not expect any motion blur.

Randy

[John Mack]

I like the framing and the calling pose. Light looks good as well.