Northern Harrier at The BdP

[bob williams]

This is my first post here on BPN. This shot was taken at The Bosque Del Apache on a recent outing with my friend and mentor, Joel. Thanks for any feedback

Northern Harrier
Canon 7D/500L +1.4 EX
ISO-800
5.6
1/2000
Levels and contrast in LR
Some background and NR in CS5

[John Chardine]

Hi Bob- Welcome to BPN and the Eager to Learn forum. This is a really nice first post. I particularly like seeing a harrier perched like this- it gives such a great look at the face of this unique raptor. The bird is nice and sharp and you have great eye contact. Exposures looks spot on. The lighting is harsh but even over the front of the bird- what time of day was the image made? The habitat is a bit messy but it is what it is. For the wall you could clean this up with some cloning etc. Regarding crop, I would give the bird a little more at the top and take some off the right side where not much is happening. Very well done on your first post.

Feel free to comment on other images posted in the forum. We are interested in everyone's opinion.

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Bob,

Hanging with Joel is a good idea and as John said, welcome and first nice post. John hit the high points as he mentioned the exposure is well done and the opportunity for improvement in composition and subject placement. A vertical might be interesting here but agree with John's comments regarding more on top and not so much to distract the eye. Remember you control the frame, what should be included and what should be excluded. You are telling the story and balancing the elements in the frame. Please show us more, great having you on board.

[bob williams]

@ John, Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I like your framing suggestions as well as the need to clean up the background. You mentioned the "wall"; are you referring to the back ground? if so, I did clean that up a bit. The lighting was earlymorning, clear sky, and the sun was behind, low and to the left of me.

Thanks again, Your comments are appreciated.

Bob

[bob williams]

@Jeff, Again Thanks for the comments. I'll keep them in mind when thinking about the framing of subject and scene.

Thanks, Bob

[Joel Eade]

Nice image Bob, we had a great time at the Bosque....looking forward to doing it again.

[John Chardine]

@ John, Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I like your framing suggestions as well as the need to clean up the background. You mentioned the "wall"; are you referring to the back ground? if so, I did clean that up a bit. The lighting was earlymorning, clear sky, and the sun was behind, low and to the left of me.

Thanks again, Your comments are appreciated.

Bob

Sorry Bob. By the "wall" I mean if you were prepping a piece of artwork to hang on a wall.

[Ian Cassell]

Hi Bob,

The exposure on the hawk is excellent and you are very lucky to see one on the ground not hidden in the tall grass! The dirty BG doesn't bother me as it is the habitat, but you might consider going for a vertical crop.

[bob williams]

Thanks Ian and Joel.

@ Ian, I have made some changes to the crop where it is more vertical than horizontal and I agree, It does look better. I also cleaned up the background but left most of the debris around the birds feet to maintain the "bird at the dinner table" look
@Joel, I also had a great time at the BdP, But I am a little jealous. You had more great shots from 4 days of shooting there than I have had in four years. Perhaps my guide services are better than my photography skills. BTW, I am going back this weekend to see if I can't rebuild a little self esteem.

@ All, As much as I am intersted in your critiques and improving my photographic skills, I am keenly interested in making sure I follow forum protocols; so, I'll ask you this: in your opinion, did I follow forum protocols on this post? Is there anything I should include/exclude that would make it easier to properly critique? Should I offer a copy of the image after all critiques have been considered and/or applied?

Thanks for your wizdom, input and time.

Bob Williams

[nancy hazen]

Bob, this is a great first post. Great eye contact and seeing the feathers around his feet, are a nice addition.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Bob, welcome to the asylum, as they say... I'm guessing that this was captured from the flight deck. The female harriers seem to like this spot for dining. Good suggestions above, I suggest working on the eye a bit - maybe darkening the pupil area to give it more contrast.

[Joel Eade]

Hi Bob, welcome to the asylum, as they say... I'm guessing that this was captured from the flight deck. The female harriers seem to like this spot for dining.

We found this Harrier at the Crane Pools on the way in, they were frozen each morning. There was also a gorgeous Harris Hawk in the vicinity but he kept his distance.

[Joel Eade]

Thanks Ian and Joel.

@ All, As much as I am intersted in your critiques and improving my photographic skills, I am keenly interested in making sure I follow forum protocols; so, I'll ask you this: in your opinion, did I follow forum protocols on this post? Is there anything I should include/exclude that would make it easier to properly critique? Should I offer a copy of the image after all critiques have been considered and/or applied?

Thanks for your wizdom, input and time.

Bob Williams

You have done very well in my opinion, you included enough info. with the original post so everyone had a good idea of how you obtained the image and processed it. It is certainly OK to put up a repost within the same thread after you have re-wroked the image.

[Kerry Perkins]

Bosque is a great place to find much more than cranes and geese. On my last trip I got a Merlin in a tree right next to the visitor center.

[bob williams]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I took the shot to vertical, cleaned up the background (and a little foreground), reemoved a little catchlight in the pupil and I also cooled it down just a tad. Let me know what you think.



Thanks Again,

Bob

[Kerry Perkins]

Bob, looks good but the original image is gone so can't compare!

[bob williams]

Bob, looks good but the original image is gone so can't compare!

Sorry Kerry, I replaced the old with the new on my Zenfolio account, but now that I am a member I can upload directly. Here is the original:

[bob williams]

Bob, this is a great first post. Great eye contact and seeing the feathers around his feet, are a nice addition.

Thanks Nancy, I too liked the evidence of the kill---it just seemed to add to the journalistic nature of the shot, so even in my edit, I left most of that stuff in.