Sandhill Crane

Gallery: AvianPosted January 25, 2013125 views13 comments

I returned from a week at Bosque del Apache on Wednesday and am slowly culling the absurd number of images I took (If I was in baseball I'd be in bad shape with this average!). The fourth morning, the sun, wind and my practice combined to make for a fun shoot with a lot of the cranes coming toward we full in the sun. While I did shoot any species I could find, the cranes and Snow Geese certainly dominated. I thought I'd post this "in-your-face" image as a start. It was instructive to be able to shoot intensively for a full week. I found myself becoming much more selective as the week progressed.

1DIV, 500mm ISL + 1.4TC, Black Widow on RRS legs, f7.1, 1/2500, iso 640, manual exposure. Cropped to 11.1 MP (mostly from top and bottom with a bit off the left for composition). Taken at the north crane pool on the entrance road on January 20th at 7:54 am.

I always appreciate your comments and criticisms.

Thanks for looking,

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on January 25, 2013 at 11:05 PM

Hi Dennis: Very nice. The morning light at the crane pools can be really sweet. I like the shadow on the left wing generated by the sun coming through the right wing. The larger version really begins to show off the details. Nicely captured.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on January 25, 2013 at 11:44 PM

Great pose with that wing position, and the open mouth.
Feels tight to me, and more of that nice blue BG woulld be ggood.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on January 25, 2013 at 11:56 PM

I like the forequarter perspective and that the bird is calling. Sharp too.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on January 26, 2013 at 12:36 AM

A beautiful close-up flight shot Dennis

Perfect wing position and great details, and he's calling too.

Sweet One!!!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Verdon on January 26, 2013 at 1:03 AM

large version is outstanding, three thumbs up !!!

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 26, 2013 at 5:45 AM

Superb detail and eye contact Dennis

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on January 26, 2013 at 7:17 AM

wow, how sharp it is. Very good image.

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 26, 2013 at 9:49 AM

love it, Dennis. great pose with the open bill and the bird angled toward you, plus nice wing position and details. I like your tight comp. If I were to pick nits, I'd consider cloning or darkening two whitish spots that catch my eye, one below the bird's right wingtip, the other near the center of the frame, but this is just looking for the tiniest nits on a fine image.

I couldn't agree more about the advantages of spending a number of days in a new location--it always takes me a few days to start to really identify the opportunities present, how they might change on a given day, and what type of shots I want to focus on. Looking forward to seeing more!

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Marella on January 26, 2013 at 11:45 AM

Great action, Dennis. A little tight for me also, but other than that it's a beauty.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 142 Posts, 862 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on January 26, 2013 at 12:20 PM

Great in flight shot ! Like it a lot - great species to have in front of your lens ! Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on January 26, 2013 at 12:31 PM

Nice details and a great angle coming towards you. Well done! Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on January 27, 2013 at 7:29 AM

Exquisite pose and details, The crop doesn't bother me as it just brings your attention to the wonderful feathers and shadows. The shadow across his body is interesting, so dark and complete, at first glance it looks like the crane is wearing a sweater.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Jenkins on January 28, 2013 at 5:08 PM

Sharp from beak to toe. Beautiful shot, Dennis.

Registered on April 20, 2008, 307 Posts, 604 Comments