Go the Spoils.
This is my favorite wildlife photography shot I've taken since I started about 18 months ago. What makes this photo so ideal to me is several factors coming together. An extremely rare bird, a fully extended wing, a splayed tail, catchlight, razor sharp focus on the face and of course, the big lifeless body of a herring gull being carried away with the slightest amount of motion blur as the gyrfalcon struggles to lift the bird above the ground.
The first few photos were taken when I had gotten to the Coast Guard station. I returned an hour later to see the falcon with its prey but at the time I did not realize (nor did anyone else there) that it was a rarity. Three or four photographers were setup with tripods and light meters and extra lenses etc. about 10 yards from its kill while I was hand holding about 30 yards away. Lucky for me the falcon got fed up with the other photogs and took off with the herring gull and flew right past me. It gives me a lot of happiness knowing I got this shot and no one else did
Like I had said, this is the 4th photo in the series and many of the other photos can be seen by clicking on my portfolios link. I'm sure I will post more of this bird in the future but I've taken some exciting shots of other species and am ready to get them up so I can get feedback on improving my flight photography skills.
Thanks for looking and commenting!
D300s 300mm f/4 + 1.7 TC
f/8
1/1000s
iso 500
-.33 EC (Should have been at least -.67)
Straightened, cropped a piling out of the right side, noise reduction on the BG, sharpening on the falcon/gull
Comments
45 commentsI must also add the comment that if 3 or 4 other photographers approached the bird to within 10 yards while it was on a kill, that was not cool. That is likely why the falcon flushed, and that kind of behavior will likely eventually result in more and more regulation of bird photography in order to limit impacts. It would be nice to see self-restraint to avoid the need for rules in refuges and other areas dedicated to natural resource protection. I'm glad you were rewarded for hanging back.
Anyway, if you've only been photographing wildlife for 18 months, you have clearly learned a lot. Nice work.
Ted
The reason I basked in happiness that I got this photo while the others didn't is a direct result of the misbehavior Ted points out. The falcon had made the kill on an open grass area bounded by a paved walkway, a catwalk along the water, a covered picnic pavilion and some shrubbery next to a small bathroom building. These photographers all had 500 and 600 prime lenses with tripods. There was absolutely no reason they needed to setup so close and out in the open. The could easily have crouched behind the vegetation, hungout by the building, gone to the picnic pavilion or gone further up in the dune vegetation and waited for the bird to eat.
Instead they setup all of their equipment right out in the open, then wondered why the bird was standing a few feet away from its kill and not eating. I did my best to keep my distance and give the falcon the respect it needed (the main reason why I left after I got my initial flight photographs). Right after this picture, it landed directly in front of me, I snapped a few shots (see my form post), the photogs picked up their tripods/cameras and started walking toward me, and the gyrfalcon took off for good.
Great action, well caught.
Peter
May
Ideally the apparent cement retaining wall and groomed grass would not be part of the shot but for me the weaknesses of an image are mitigated by it's strengths and here the scales dip strongly toward the postiive.
I like this very much as posted and do not see the need for additional canvas.
You have presented some wonderful images of this rarity, big congrats on them all!
cheers
Rob
congrats on the EP!!
Sandy r
Congrats on the EP, well deserved.
The slight blurr of motion on the wings helps to make this even more special.
Would love to have something even similar to this
I was on NPN vacation when you posted this. Just seeing it for the first time. Awesome shot. Congrats on the WP.