Headed Out and Home....

[Arthur Morris]

We head out for our last Homer boat trip today in gray drizzle. I fly Homer to Anchorage tonight to catch the 2:30 am red eye to Seattle and then continue on to Orlando. I should be in the house in ILE at about 8pm in time for a late dinner and LSU/Alabama.

Most of the sunny days were during the first IPT so I thought that I would post a sunny Bald Eagle before heading out into the dark and the wet. Click here to see my favorite from yesterday which was also dark and wet.....

This image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8LI S II with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 240mm. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 off the sky 35 degrees up from the horizon: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6. Central Sensor AI Servo/Rear Focus AF. Cropped from a vertical original.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

APTATS I

[Ofer Levy]

Fantastic pose captured! Sharp with good detail and well exposed. I see a slight halo resulting from S/H - noting major though. Composition is not helping this otherwise lovely image. Here is a repost with what looks to me as a more balanced composition with the wings forming a nice diagonal with the UL and LR corners.

[Jay Gould]

This is the original post: Images not showing in this thread only!

Now the images are showing and I cannot delete the post!!

You dare not call this another "dime a dozen"!!

Lovely.

[Arthur Morris]

This is the original post: Images not showing in this thread only!

Now the images are showing and I cannot delete the post!!

You dare not call this another "dime a dozen"!!

Lovely.

You are right Jay. These are two for a nickel in Homer. Hey, we had a BPN Aussie on the first IPT: Mark Farnan.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Great pose Artie with a nice determined expression.. I also like the snowy shots you posted. I too see the halo around the eagle and wonder if I'm seeing some noise in the lower wing? Hard to tell with this size. Hope to see some more great stuff from the rest of your trip.

[Roger Clark]

Artie,

Another example of the beautiful feather detail and slight shading giving form to the bird. Artie may say he doesn't know what phase angle is, but he sure knows instinctively the best angles of light. From the shadows, I would estimate the sun is 20 to 30 degrees to the upper left (that is the phase angle). This angle gives the nice shading on the right and lower sides of the bird and on a tiny scale, tiny shadows cast by the feathers, resulting in the beautiful detail in the feathers. Well done.

Roger

[Grace Scalzo]

Really a dynamic and exciting image. I feel the power of the bird through his pose. Safe travels.

[Doug Brown]

Sweet light, nice sharpness, and a great flight pose. I prefer Ofer's crop.

[Ofer Levy]

Artie,

Another example of the beautiful feather detail and slight shading giving form to the bird. Artie may say he doesn't know what phase angle is, but he sure knows instinctively the best angles of light. From the shadows, I would estimate the sun is 20 to 30 degrees to the upper left (that is the phase angle). This angle gives the nice shading on the right and lower sides of the bird and on a tiny scale, tiny shadows cast by the feathers, resulting in the beautiful detail in the feathers. Well done.

Roger

Hi Roger, I am not sure how much experience you have in BIF shots but from my experience I can tell you that the photographer doesn't really control the angle. What usually happens is that we stand in one spot, the bird is flying where it wants and we can just fire and hope for the best....

It is, of course, a totally different story with a bird on a stick setup.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Roger, I am not sure how much experience you have in BIF shots but from my experience I can tell you that the photographer doesn't really control the angle. What usually happens is that we stand in one spot, the bird is flying where it wants and we can just fire and hope for the best....

It is, of course, a totally different story with a bird on a stick setup.

You are correct sir. I always like when I get credit for being smarter/more talented than I really am .....

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks to the halo-noting folks. I think that I see it and I think that it was caused by sloppily painting away the hide-all mask on the NIK Color Efex/Tonal Contrast layer--painting outside the lines if you would. I will be more careful in the future.

[Gary Esman]

This is a sweet shot. I like the slightly bent wings, great lighting, great detail in the whites and intense look. Very very nice.

Gary.

[Randy Stout]

Hi Roger, I am not sure how much experience you have in BIF shots but from my experience I can tell you that the photographer doesn't really control the angle. What usually happens is that we stand in one spot, the bird is flying where it wants and we can just fire and hope for the best....

It is, of course, a totally different story with a bird on a stick setup.

Ofer:

I would agree with you about not being able to control the phase angle while shooting, but, we certainly can chose the shot in post that has the best combination of pose, lighting, etc., so in effect, we can factor in the phase angle to a great extent.

Just another reason to take an adequate number of shots, to help catch the best combination!

Cheers

Randy

[Stu Bowie]

Tack sharp detail, and just love the flying posture. The plain blue sky BG works well here, even without any clouds.

[Ofer Levy]

Ofer:

I would agree with you about not being able to control the phase angle while shooting, but, we certainly can chose the shot in post that has the best combination of pose, lighting, etc., so in effect, we can factor in the phase angle to a great extent.

Just another reason to take an adequate number of shots, to help catch the best combination!

Cheers

Randy

Hi Randy,
When it comes to BIF - if the image is sharp, exposure is spot on, BG and pose are nice - I am more than happy and don't even think about 'phase angle'... I actually think this term is totally irrelevant to bird photography. Nice in theory but totally meaningless in practice.

[Roger Clark]

Hi Roger, I am not sure how much experience you have in BIF shots but from my experience I can tell you that the photographer doesn't really control the angle. What usually happens is that we stand in one spot, the bird is flying where it wants and we can just fire and hope for the best....

It is, of course, a totally different story with a bird on a stick setup.

Ofer,

Yes, I do quite a lot of BIF and some have been posted here. And while I agree one can't control phase angle during a fly-by, one chooses where to stand in the first place. If the fly-by is the first random fly-by, then there is little control, but there is still when to take the best shot(s) as Randy said. If the birds are in a pattern then one certainly has rough control of phase angle by where to choose to stand and which subject to go after. For example, if you want the light on the bird and not a silhouette, then one certainly doesn't stand in a position where the bird flies between you and the sun. Think about the last time you did BIF. How did you choose where to stand? When I'm out imaging any subject, from landscape to BIF, I always think of the angle of the light and choose positions that will best use light for a given subject and composition.

Edit: And I'll add, do you always stand in "one" spot or do you move around? I often see photographers with their tripods staying in one spot, even if the birds change flight patterns.

Roger

[Craig Kerr]

Wonderful action captured here Arthur, full marks for your techs from me

[arash_hazeghi]

This is great, love the dynamic pose and great exposure for the whites. I also prefer Ofer's repost.

[Robert Holguin]

Wow!!! What a beauty. Excellent flight pose, detail is superb, and very nice light.
Well done.