White-tailed Kite

[Kerry Perkins]

I have lived in southern California for 35 years and I am still discovering new places. This bird was captured at More Mesa, which is an open space on the coast near Santa Barbara. It is only accessible by walking through a residential neighborhood and is an oasis for wildlife right in the middle of a very populated area.

I did not want to get too close to a nesting pair of kites and I don't have huge glass, so this is a very large crop and I didn't get as much detail as I would have liked, but I am taken by the beauty of this bird and wanted to share...

Shot in late afternoon light and the sun was behind a wispy cloud. Converted in LR2, then sharpened and tweaked in CS4. Used Noiseware Pro on the BG and still had to use the blur tool a bit. My 50D has real issues with these dark muted BG colors.

50D, EF400mm f/5.6L
Manual mode, f/5.6@1/2500 ISO 400 WB 5100K
AI Servo autofocus, hand-held no flash

[Bob Miller]

Hi kerry....Stunning image! I really like the whites and the pose of the bird. Your post processing looks right on to me!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Really beautiful Kerry. Love the pose and the eye.

[Doug Brown]

Stunning bird Kerry! A little more focal length would have really brought out the missing detail. Thanks for respecting the nest!

[Desmond Chan]

I like the whites. Considering what you had to deal with, this looks good! I would suggest a bit more sharpening though. Beautiful bird !

[Lance Peters]

Hi kerry not bad for a big crop - like the pose and the whites do look good.
Post processing looks great.
TFS

[Edy Subiyanto]

beautiful kite image.. I like the white color and the pose...

[Harold Davis]

i agree with the rest, kerry. nice job with the exposure and not bad for the big crop. and i love the pose! they are beautiful birds!! would love to see in person one day.