Thought I'd share my take on the photogenic Red-Tailed Hawk at Ridgefield.
This guy was content to watch me until a big diesel pick up came lumbering along, then he decided to move on to safer pastures...According to the bird photo experts, the background line between the grasses and the hills is a bit distracting...
Posted by Craig Strand on January 5, 2010 at 11:11 PM
Nice capture David, I like the way the light catches this fellow. I am fine with the OOF BG, really nice!
Love the 7D also, I am still experimenting with all the new features it has over my 40D, it offers a lot of potential.
Craig
I'm not too distracted by the background, but perhaps if the bottom part was a little darker or less intense it might not be as distracting to some, but it's a great pose and light on him. Very cool.
I actually think the contrasting background really adds to the photo. I also like how the bird is in caught in an unusual action pose, rather than simply perched or in flight.
I haven't had as much luck getting such crisp shots with the 1.4 TC....was this shot taken on a tripod?
Posted by David Bostock on January 6, 2010 at 9:22 AM
Thanks for the comments. Ryan, I'll try darkening the bottom part, good idea.
Monica, this was shot out the window, with the lens sitting on a beanbag. I've found that the images are a little soft wide open, but stopping down even 1/3 helps a lot. And I have to shoot at 1/500 or faster to get sharp photos, even with IS...
Posted by Andrew Kumler on January 6, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Beautiful lighting, too bad its not perched on a more natural object, but still a great shot..
Posted by Geoff Shapiro on January 6, 2010 at 7:31 PM
David - seems like you're becoming a bird photographer?
Seriously, it looks like that 7D is a good piece of equipment for the job. The lighting really makes this for me. While the strong demarcation in the background is slightly distracting, it is overcome by the pose and the lighting on the bird.
Posted by David Bostock on January 6, 2010 at 8:52 PM
Thanks Geoff, I'm not sure I'm becoming a bird photographer, but I am dabbling and it's a lot of fun...a nice distraction from land/cityscape photography, particularly when the weather isn't cooperating for long exposures...
Discussion
7 repliesThought I'd share my take on the photogenic Red-Tailed Hawk at Ridgefield.
This guy was content to watch me until a big diesel pick up came lumbering along, then he decided to move on to safer pastures...According to the bird photo experts, the background line between the grasses and the hills is a bit distracting...
Love the 7D also, I am still experimenting with all the new features it has over my 40D, it offers a lot of potential.
Craig
I haven't had as much luck getting such crisp shots with the 1.4 TC....was this shot taken on a tripod?
Monica, this was shot out the window, with the lens sitting on a beanbag. I've found that the images are a little soft wide open, but stopping down even 1/3 helps a lot. And I have to shoot at 1/500 or faster to get sharp photos, even with IS...
Seriously, it looks like that 7D is a good piece of equipment for the job. The lighting really makes this for me. While the strong demarcation in the background is slightly distracting, it is overcome by the pose and the lighting on the bird.