Montagu's Harrier with kill

[Vinay Lakshman]

Canon EOS 1D MkIII
Canon EF 500mm F/5.6

1/2500
F/5.6
ISO 400

The harrier had killed a pipit . Couldnt do much about the OOF twigs .

[Amy Marques]

Hi. I agree the oof twig is a shame but I would also have been happy to get this image. I like the open bill. Some more detail can be pulled from the dark areas and I spy a halo along the upper wing from sharpening. Otherwise, great job.

[Ivan Sjögren]

Vinay,

This is a great image and I like the pose with the open bill. You could do some less sharpening on the bird and still get great details. In thats case you shouldn't get the halo along the wing. I do agree with bouth of you that the oof twig is a problem but you got the head clean which is the most important part.
Still a good image!

Ivan

[Stu Bowie]

He seems very satisfied with his catch, and good to see the open beak with the tongue visible. The feather detail doesnt look oversharpened, but I can clearly see the halo. Did you sharpen the whole image? I like the clean OOF BG.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

You say: Canon EF 500mm F/5.6

Thats my dream lens that does not exist:-) you probably mean f/4

I like how the harrier is oriented w.r.t the sensor plane. Exposure looks very good. Space in front of the bird does not bother me but seems like it will better without so much space on top.

This place you guys have in Bangalore seems heaven for raptor shots. termite and other mounds perfect for them to perch on and squeaky clean backgrounds.

[Scott Frye]

I like the low level shot and uncluttered background. Blood on the talons is a nice touch -- good capture

[Morkel Erasmus]

very nice capture - pity about the twigs...it does look like you sharpened the entire image...maybe run some noise reduction on the background

[Markus Jais]

Where can I get that 5.6/500? :) Would be a dream for flight photography.

I really like this shot. I like the open bill and the prey. The OOF twigs are a little distracting but not much.
I am no Photoshop wizard but maybe with a lot of work, they could be cloned out.

Markus

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Very exciting image to view with the wide open eyes and the open beak showing his tongue. You captured some beautiful action with a very nice BG. As mentioned the OOF branches are a slight distraction but I would Love to have this beauty in my files. Many thanks for sharing Vinay.

[Fabs Forns]

Wow, fascinating bird, with a gluttonous expression on his face. Twigs don't bother me much, they are part of nature and not too intrusive, at lest the face in in the clear.

[Danny Laredo]

Really nice moment you captured here.
indeed a shame bout those twigs.

[Vinay Lakshman]

Oops !! Its 500mm F/4 indeed :D

[Vinay Lakshman]

Well as pointed out , I did sharpen the whole image . I use two different systems to process . PS is still not installed on my macbook :( Need to do it soon