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Tawny eagle taking off
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Tawny eagle taking off

by Austin Thomas

Gallery: AvianPosted November 3, 2010158 views11 comments
Hi all,

Here is another from this years trip to Kenya, but this time birdlife.

This Tawny Eagle was sitting comfortably on top of its perch for quite some time. I managed to keep myself focussed on the subject for long periods of time, waiting for some movement or action to take place, before releasing the shutter. I remember panicking though, each time I had to blink or stretch, in fear that I would miss the action.

Finally it decided to move and this image was recorded. Personally, I wish that the head was angled ever so slightly more towards the camera.

More images from Kenya 2010 are available HERE

C&C most welcome.

Canon 1DMK4, 500mm +1.4x , f5.6, 1/1250 ISO800.

Cheers

Austin

Comments

11 comments
Comment posted by David W. Kelly on November 3, 2010 at 12:49 PM
Love the BG. Beautiful image. :toast:
Registered on October 7, 2005, 883 Posts, 6590 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Willison on November 3, 2010 at 1:53 PM
Your concentration paid off big. Most often I look away at the wrong time. Hate that.
Fabulous pose.
Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments
Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on November 3, 2010 at 2:16 PM
Wonderful take off pose and wingspread!
Dark tones seem to work very well here.
Jagdeep Rajput
Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Gilham on November 3, 2010 at 4:05 PM
Great timing Austin, your patience paid off with a very nice take off pose. :toast:
Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 3, 2010 at 6:50 PM
I agree with your comment Austin about the eye contact here. The take off is very nice and the bird stands out from the BG well. Personally, I would need the larger version to judge critical sharpness and detail on the bird, but it looks good from what I can decern.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by Charles Gangas on November 3, 2010 at 6:51 PM
Nice timing- your patience was well rewarded! :toast:
Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 3, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Nice moment, Austin. I agree about the head, but it's still a beautiful take-off shot. :toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 4, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Austin, I like your comp and the light on the eagle - it stands out nicely against that background. Very nice take off posture even though slightly more of a head turn would have been preferrable as you mention. Darn birds would just rather look where they're going than they would at the photographer when they take off...
Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on November 4, 2010 at 9:02 PM
Nice action shot! Well exposed, I also agree about the head position, but sometimes you just have to be happy with what the animal will give you. Thanks for sharing.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by Phillip Tomkinson on November 5, 2010 at 8:07 AM
Hi Austin a very very very nice image like it lot's.

Phil.

:toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :wavey:
Registered on July 14, 2005, 194 Posts, 427 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on November 6, 2010 at 6:25 PM
Welcome to NPN avian Austin. Lovely take off pose, just a bit more of a head turn would have put it over the top. Thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work here. :toast:
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments