Amur falcon (perching)

[Craig Brelsford]

I shot this male Amur falcon from the backseat of an SUV at Lake Wuliangsu in Inner Mongolia, China. These cute little raptors fear walking photographers little and cars even less. They're common around the lake.

Device: Nikon D300
Lens: VR 600mm F/4G
Focal length: 850mm
VR: ON
Aperture: F/7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/1000s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: -0.3EV
Metering: Spot
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 250

[Duane Noblick]

Love the smooth background and the raised talon is a plus. Excellent feather detail.

[Randy Stout]

Craig:

Good comments from Duane. I really like the soft feathers on the belly and around the legs. Well exposed and sharp.
Interesting perch. Is this natural? I might consider burning in the perch just a bit so it doesn't draw the eye quite so much.

Cheers

Randy

[Craig Brelsford]

Thanks, Duane and Randy! The perch is not natural; it's a fencepost. The background is about as the camera saw it; no Photoshopping applied.

[Connie Mier]

Very beautiful moment captured, the talon is a bonus, and so is the bg for that matter. I agree with Randy about toning down the perch, just a bit.

[Craig Brelsford]

Thank you, Connie!