Saw this pair off the side of Ohio State Route 2 the last day of April. This is my first sighting of a bald eagle this close, and I was really excited to get a photograph.
Canon 5D MK II, 300mm f4L IS + 1.4X TC (420mm), 1/320sec @ f8, ISO 400, 0EV, pattern metering, manual exp, HH
PP: Lightroom 2.6
about 40% crop, dust spot removal, cloned out tree trunks and branches on both sides of birds
exposure adjustment: set black and white points; enhanced clarity and vibrance
Nik software: NR Dfine 2.0; Viveza 2.0; ColorEfex Pro; Sharpener Pro
Love how you get both bird to be in focus and how they stand on top of the perch, they both look like a sentinel watching guard. I might tone down the head a bit and there a small halo around the body from sharpening.
Julie, magnificent birds..... There does seem to be some artifacts from the sharpening. That can be cleaned up. Beautiful light and detail. Nice job, congrats!!
great poses by two beautiful birds! i see the halos too. easily rectified. i like the light and think you did about the best you could do with this situation.
Hi Julie, Overall well handled. Agree with most comments above regarding halo. Nice light,sharp and an environmental image thats not distracting.Good one!!
Hi Julie - Halo noted - like the poses and agree with all of the above advice.
Might have bumped that ISO up a little to increase the SS - A bit of saftey margin doesnt hurt.
:)
Hi Julie Agree with comments and can add a couple !!
From the head looks like you had as much light as possible but looks like the body was a little dark, the feathers look a bit flat and that camera produces outstanding detail !! .. btw can also work some magic with the whites using NiK !! Do like the overall feel and you did the best from your position !! Hope you find some more !!!
I never tire of seeing photos of eagles. Beautiful birds, fun to watch and listen to, and wonderful to see fly.
You managed to catch a great pose - alert expressions on both faces.
Agree there seems to be a sharpening halo. The yellows also seem to be a bit over saturated.
Good definition in the body feathers. Nice sharp talons.
Also agree with comment regarding ISO and shutter speed.
Deb
Thanks everyone for all the great comments and advice. Overall, I am pleased with this image-but always looking to improve! :D
I have seen a demo of how to remove a halo in Photoshop Elements but I am going to have to research that because I can't remember how to do it. If there is a tutorial anyone knows about-I would love to have the link. I do know how to bring down the yellows however, so I can go back and fix that. As for the feather detail Al, I did bring up the shadows with Viveza. Do you think I should bump up the shadows a bit more?
Bald Eagle Pair
