Bald eagle flying over Hayden Valley (YNP)

[Mark Perry]

Canon 50D; ISO 640 1/2000, f8; 500mmf4 L + 1.4x TC (700mm)

Yellowstone National Park 9/23/09

[David Fletcher]

Lovely flight shot Mark and crop choice. The light hasn't done any favors but you've done very well in retaining details in the shadows.

[Randy Stout]

Mark:

David covered the important points. Comp, wing position, background, all good.

Light was the problem. Harsh and high in the sky, so the light angle worked against you. As a well known member of BPN recently mentioned, the harsher the light, the closer to the sun angle you need to work to get an acceptable image. This obviously wasn't possible for this shot.

I tried to soften the shadows, but the noise came up with a vengeance. You could do better with the raw file.

Hope to see more from your trip.

Randy

[Lance Peters]

Ohh so close - light angle mentioned - looking forward to seeing more :)

[Mark Perry]

Thanks folks. This was midday, sunny (not a cloud in the sky), he/she flew into my viewing range unexpectedly (as I was taking pictures of "other things"), it was a split second, as he/she cruised past me at their usual 40-50mph, I got off 3-4 clicks and it was over...;-) I felt lucky with the one decent image.

Mark

[Harshad Barve]

lovely flight pose and killer BG , lighting already mentioned ,
lovely crop
TFS

[Jim Buescher]

Considering the light, I think you captured a great flight shot; the eagle hasn't passed you yet, the wing position is good, the whites aren't blown, and the BG is fantastic (no blue sky like most other eagle-in-flight shots). Looks like you're putting that 500 to good use!

[Mark Perry]

Considering the light, I think you captured a great flight shot; the eagle hasn't passed you yet, the wing position is good, the whites aren't blown, and the BG is fantastic (no blue sky like most other eagle-in-flight shots). Looks like you're putting that 500 to good use!

Jim,

Yes, indeed, the 500 + the 1.4x came in handy during this trip.