trying to nail the shot without making a few mistakes.
Spotted this Red-Tailed Hawk perched on a telephone wire on my way to Pitt Lake yesterday afternoon. Had wife and friends with me so didnt have long to jump out and snap a few shots. Wasn't thrilled with the results but was lucky and got a second chance on my way home when I saw he was still there. He was on the hunt and after he flew one from side of the road to the other (this shot) I was lucky to watch him swoop down and grab a mouse (He was too fast and my shots were blurred).
Anyway, I have a number of shots of him perched on and walking along the wire (I'll post a "Bird on a Wire" shot later in the week) but I want to know if this can be cropped to make it a better image, or with some practice with quick masks fix the missing wing (maybe a wing from a different image)? Its not often I get to practice BIF shots and I am kicking myself for not getting all of him in the frame.
Thanks
Jamie
Techs
Shooting Date/Time 23/05/2010 27:40 PM
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D
Lens EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/1000
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation +1 1/3
ISO Speed 400
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Focal Length 90.0mm
P.S I made an assumption it was a he
Last edited by Jamie Douglas; 05-24-2010 at 11:45 PM.
Reason: Added focal length
The sharp angle makes this a tough one, additionally, the bird is flying slightly away from you at this point. On the plus side, it's reasonably sharp and very well exposed.
Hi Jamie, Good exposure and like the blue sky(which is not blown out)along with the bird being relatively sharp.
Two things I might look for in the future
Try and capture the whole bird without clipping the wings
I realize you couldn't plan the shot but good lighting is critical to a successful image...
Not easy at all, Jamie!! Agree with Colin and Dave. I like that the body and wings have detail. There may be a color cast (the white feathers look yellowish to me). I also think you can easily lift the lighting in PS, but getting right in-camera is always better. The clipped wing is a huge, huge problem IMO. Just keep trying; look forward to your next one.
Hi Jamie To make good flight images you need to practice !! In many areas there are tons of gulls which make for good subjects Also you will find most good flight images have good wind direction/sun angle in common !!
Excellent comments and hope you get another chance !!!
Thanks for the comments folks and finding gulls wont be a problem. I am glad I got the exspoure right or close enough in camera and will play around in CS3 a little, the wing will haunt me for a while though. Could quick masks proivde a solution or is this considered a little more than a wing clip? Could Robert O'Toole's APTATS 1 help? I have another image of the bird diving which is sharp and correctly exposed but clipped the beak, wasnt a good day :)
Last edited by Jamie Douglas; 05-25-2010 at 09:08 PM.
Nice shot Jamie. Photo is pretty sharp for just jumping out of car with, I assume, passengers waiting.:)
My suggestion is that the clipped wing is a lot more trouble than it is worth to try and fix. My experience is a few clipped tips of feathers are easily repairable and APTATS gives the solution to that and other good advice and solutions.
The other drawback with this photo is, although sharp, it is of the shadowy side of the bird. To have really good photos you gotta get the light of them or at least equal light on those bright over cast days.
Good advice about doing gulls or pigeons. Lots of excellent photos posted in the Avian forum or gulls and pigeons in flight.
Early morning, late afternoon with the sun and wind at your back with birds flying towards you is the best combo from my experience.
Not as easy as it looks...
7:40 PM
