Mississippi River Eagle

[Paul Hokanson]

Hello,

I took this image on 2/26 at L&D 14. It is a great place for eagles and also for conversing with great people!

I like that the eagle is looking directly at my position.

Please C&C.

Thanks.

Paul

50D
400 5.6
f 7.1
1/2000
Evaluative Metering
Aperture Priority
Exposure Compensation-0
Slight crop

[Randy Stout]

Paul:
I like the composition, you were in good position to include the splash and the bird angling towards you in the frame. Eye contact and fish a real plus.

To my eye the image is a bit soft, and the contrast a bit high, with dark shadows and loss of detail in some areas. Obviously, you had to work with the light, which looks a bit harsh here.

How were the eagle numbers? It has been warm enough that I thought they wouldn't be as concentrated by the locks as they would be during a colder spell.

Cheers

Randy

[Paul Hokanson]

Randy

Thanks for the input.

Yes, the sun was high. Eagles are difficult, with either the head being very white and the body very dark, or vice versa related to aperture/speed changes. Later in the afternoon, when the sun was low, that helped considerably.

I think I need to increase sharpening after I convert RAW to JPEG, as it seems to lose some when it is posted.

I think the congregating relates to the temperature. The sunny day before I was there the temps were ~10-14 and another forum poster said there were 40-50 eagles there. When I was there for two days the temps were low twenties with 15-20 eagles and the last day in the upper 20s there were ~8 eagles. That is interesting.

Paul