Kestrel & Prey

[Jonathan Ashton]

Canon 7D Canon 500mm f4 L IS Bean bag, ISO 200 1/640 sec f6.3

I just could not believe my luck, I had been photographing waders at the beach - some reasonable but not brilliant images. We decided to stop at a field usually full of waders at high tide, I noticed a kestrel with prey - it landed by the gate (images to follow) trouble was the gate was in the way I managed to manoever the car to get a slightly clearer view. After a while she obligingly flew onto an old fence post, I moved the car again and went round full circle and I got a few shots in the bag before she stashed the young rat.
I only wish the light had been a little more in my favour, I used a mask to brighten the right side of her face/eye, it was in strong shadow.

All C & C most welcome.

[dankearl]

Nice action/behavior shot Jonathan.
A Vertical crop with more room at the top and less of the post would
be nice if you have it.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks Dan I did consider a vertical version but that is one heck of a fence post I guessed I would have been hammered for trying that one!!

[Tom Redd]

Jonathan, very nice photo. I am think I would go with a pano crop with a bit more room above if possible and less of the post. If you can't get more room at the top, I would just crop the post with about the same canvas as above the bird's left wing. I like the BG and the photo is nice and sharp.

[Rene Quenneville]

I also vote for more room to the top. Great action shot. A better beamer at -1 would have helped here.

[Arthur Morris]

Ten minutes.. 2.5 degree rotation. Tim Grey Dodge and Burn and still raised the curve. Filled in missing BKGR with the Clone Stamp Tool and then smoothed with the Patch Tool. Weed clean-up. Band removal. I realize that such treatment may be abhorrent to some but for me it is still a small raptor on a fence post with prey. Just prettier. All as described in detail in Digital Basics. And all the lightening would work with the other changes.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the comments everyone, and the repost Artie, I did mess about quite a bit with this to get the contrast and lighting adjusted. I will be submitting another different image shortly and will bare in mind the comments/advice given.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Here is a rework, I have cropped and added canvas. I made a quick mask of the right side of the bird and adjusted levels, then I dodged the eye, after that I burned the highlights on the left foot and the front face of the post. Then I selectively sharpened. I decided to leave the grasses because this was not a set up and I wanted to recreate the scene as accurately as I could.