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Northern Harrier: Male
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Northern Harrier: Male

by Peter Conway

Gallery: AvianPosted June 20, 2010178 views17 comments
Mark III, 600mm w/1.4 ext, ISO 500, f/9, 1/1300th, Natural light

I was going through my RAW archives and found this image from last year that I had never developed. Not sure how I missed it. I like the OOF grass BG in this one.

I hope I get another opportunity with these at some point.

Comments always appreciated.

Peter

Comments

17 comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on June 20, 2010 at 10:56 PM
Very nice flight shot. Nice that the harrier is coming towards the camera; good light on the face to show ther disk.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 20, 2010 at 11:38 PM
Beautiful, Peter. Wonderful posture and the bg is perfect for this species. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Binda on June 21, 2010 at 1:31 AM
the oof grass adds more 'speed' to the Harrier, great shot Peter. :toast:
Registered on September 8, 2007, 56 Posts, 326 Comments
Comment posted by S Govindarajan on June 21, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Excellent flight shot, Peter! The oof background and environment greatly enhances this image. The image looks a tad soft. Was this full frame? Very nice nonetheless. :toast:
Registered on April 19, 2008, 115 Posts, 1921 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Maile on June 21, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Very nice Peter, I like everything about it. Great wing position, and landing gear up!
Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments
Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on June 21, 2010 at 1:47 PM
Very nice Pete
Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments
Comment posted by Peter Conway on June 21, 2010 at 2:24 PM
"The image looks a tad soft. Was this full frame?"

Govind, This is not FF but it is at least 80% thereof.
Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments
Comment posted by Robbie Knight on June 21, 2010 at 2:26 PM
Great capture - I like the solid look he is giving you with the fly-by and crisp margins on the wingtips. Well done ! Robbie
Registered on April 10, 2010, 30 Posts, 135 Comments
Comment posted by Darren Colello on June 21, 2010 at 3:45 PM
Great harrier image. Well done Peter.
Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments
Comment posted by Monica Siri on June 21, 2010 at 4:29 PM
Peter,
I like this image a lot. The background adds to the comp. Really nice! :toast:
Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments
Comment posted by Graham Brown on June 21, 2010 at 5:48 PM
Yet to capture a harrier so am envious of this image. Exposure looks very good as you've got good detail in the shaded underside of the bird. Capturing such a large image with your set-up takes some doing, so well done. Graham
Registered on November 20, 2007, 275 Posts, 1365 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on June 21, 2010 at 7:21 PM
Very nice flight shot Peter :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments
Comment posted by David Sparks on June 21, 2010 at 8:52 PM
Peter:
It's an interesting image with the top of the wings being illuminated AND visible while the body, face and the feathers under the wings are in shadow. With soaring birds, the top of the wings are usually illuminated, but not visible. In your image the areas in shadow are the regions in sharpest focus, whereas the directly illuminated areas are the areas with the most motion blur. The image would be stronger, IMO, if the areas not in shadow were also the sharpest. The OOF grass is a great BG for the harrier. :toast:
Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments
Comment posted by David Sparks on June 21, 2010 at 8:52 PM
Peter:
It's an interesting image with the top of the wings being illuminated AND visible while the body, face and the feathers under the wings are in shadow. With soaring birds, the top of the wings are usually illuminated, but not visible. In your image the areas in shadow are the regions in sharpest focus, whereas the directly illuminated areas are the areas with the most motion blur. The image would be stronger, IMO, if the areas not in shadow were also the sharpest. The OOF grass is a great BG for the harrier. :toast:
Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments
Comment posted by Kirk Greene on June 21, 2010 at 11:16 PM
I'm not sure how you missed it either. I'd like to see the image(s) that got your attention when you were editing this day's work. The bird is flying at a perfect angle and the oof grass provides a great backdrop. :toast:
Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Saunders on June 22, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Love the eye contact here Pete :toast:
Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments
Comment posted by David Chauvin on June 22, 2010 at 6:25 PM
There's a lot to like here, Peter. The light, environment, wing position, eye contact,,,,,,it's just that overall the image looks a bit soft to me.
Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments