Golden Eagle at Barr Lake

Gallery: AvianPosted February 15, 20141,141 views6 comments

Greetings, I am new to NPN, so new that this is my first image submitted. Viewing many other's photographs on this site is a bit intimidating but here I go! Nikon D300; VR 80-400mm; ISO 500; Ap 7.1; monopod. This image is cropped. I use Capture NX 2 to edit my RAW work.
November day at Barr Lake St PK.CO I came around a bend and saw her at quite a distance. If one can quietly scurry I did stopping at various spotting distances until I was almost directly underneath. She continued to pose intent upon sighting the lake.
My goal? As norm for all my photographs is to capture the sight of the wonderous creatures and lands we are gifted to be of a small part.
Self critique: tail is too close to border in original image. I have many questions as a new submitter but will leave it totally open and WELCOME all critiques. Thanks, Sandi

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 15, 2014 at 1:43 PM

Welcome to NPN Sandi. Great first submittal. You can post a larger image for better critiques. This is really needed to do a proper critique. The posting instructions are on the NPN site. I think this might be a golden eagle instead of a bald eagle. An immature bald eagle is somewhat similar to a Golden Eagle, but the feather coloration is a bit different. We'll see what other NPN members weigh in with.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on February 15, 2014 at 1:49 PM

Hi Sandra: Welcome to NPN. The image you posted is VERY small. You can post an image here that is 720 pixels on the long edge, then an optional image that is 1200 pixels on the long edge. I'd encourage both for people to provide the best critiques.

Here's a link that might help:

http://www.naturephotographers.net/postguide-2.html#3

At this size I can provide much input.

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

Comment posted by Sandra M. Apel on February 15, 2014 at 4:37 PM

Thanks for the proper identification! I am trying to work my way through the resizing for uploading and not sure if I did it right this time. Sandi

Registered on October 15, 2013, 20 Posts, 171 Comments

Comment posted by Sandra M. Apel on February 15, 2014 at 5:58 PM

Sorry for the previous resizing attempts. Any comments will be welcome. Sandi

Registered on October 15, 2013, 20 Posts, 171 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 15, 2014 at 8:27 PM

Sandi,

Welcome to NPN, it is a great place to learn, to become a better photographer and help other members in the process.

This appears to be a first year Bald Eagle, a Golden Eagle; even a juvenile, shows a golden nape. This bird does not have that.

Your repost did the trick, much easier to critique.

I think you are correct about the tail being to close, for my tastes the image is too tight, more space all around would make the bird feel less confined. I do like the bird's pose and the nice eye contact. I might add just a touch more sharpening.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 15, 2014 at 11:04 PM

Welcome, Sandi. Your repost helps a lot. Detail and exposure look pretty good. I agree with Mia that it's pretty tight in the frame all around. I suspect you have a mess of branches in front of the eagle that you wanted to avoid, and that does make it difficult. However, the extra room for the bird to move into really does help on most images.

This is a very nice first post-keep at it.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments