A few Bald Eagles

Spent the weekend on the Mississippi with Bob Karcz trying to get a few good eagle shots. The weather couldn't have been much worse, but the action was just unbelievable. I took around 3000 shots and have only got through maybe a 1000 or so and processed these on my laptop so they might not have turned out that good as far as color. What a amazing place. I'm going to head back out there in Feb and hopefully get some good light.

2

3

4

5

6

Hopefully this isn't too many shots posting in one day, but these guys are just amazing birds.

These are SAHWEET!!! Well done.

These are great action shots Brian!!!. Whereabouts on the Mississippi were these?.

Wow! Nice action! You might want to bump up the exposure a half-stop, or so...and there seems to be a slight magenta cast to all of them. Otherwise, very nice shots!

Ken

I'm not seeing the color cast Ken is, but I think they'd be much punchier if you lightened them all up a bit. Regardless, these are really spectacular shots. I'd also like to know where on the Mississippi River you were. I had no idea it was an eagle destination. Also, what focal length are you using? (i.e. How close can you get?)

Brian... each one of them are beautiful. I love these birds... a royal bird indeed. First one is fantastic.... like Ken said a little bit of processing will help to bring the best out of them... nevertheless they are excellent photographs....

Nick: These are at Lock & Dam #14 in Quad Cities Iowa

Ken: Yes, these could be off, as I processed these on my uncalibrated laptop. My desktop bit the bucket a week ago and I haven't ordered a new one yet. I'll have to redo these down the road.


For all you amateur wildlife photographers like myself, this was a awesome use of the auto-ISO feature. I wanted to keep my shots above 1/1250 but didn't want to have to keep changing my ISO values all day. I'm using a Nikon, but I'm assuming you can do the same on a Canon. I set it for auto-ISO, then said I didn't want it to go about ISO 1600, and then wanted it to stay above 1/1250 shutter. Way cool! Someone at the Locks showed me this feature. I had never tried it till this weekend.

I'm not seeing the color cast Ken is, but I think they'd be much punchier if you lightened them all up a bit. Regardless, these are really spectacular shots. I'd also like to know where on the Mississippi River you were. I had no idea it was an eagle destination. Also, what focal length are you using? (i.e. How close can you get?)

I looked into where to go for a long time and L&D 14 is pretty much unanimously picked the 2nd best place to view eagles in North America outside of Hanies, Alaska. There are other locks up and down the Mississippi that have way more bird counts but all the locals and all the pros that I talked to, that have been doing this for years all say they pretty much only go to #14 because of how close they are to you.

Maybe Bob will chime in with what he thought.

I was shooting with a 200-400 lens and that was plenty of lens for 75% of the action. There were times with at 200 I couldn't fit the eagle in the whole frame they were so close. Sunday, they seemed to stay out a little bit and I added a 1.4x for about a hour but that's about it.

Wow - #1 and #5 are really spectacular. Well done!

Brian, I was there too! I am iced in in Iowa now.... this was my first trip here at L&D 14 as well and I agree it;s great! I have been blogging and posting a few pics. Like you, my laptop doesnt have the software to PP properly. I just converted the RAWs to JPEG for posting purposes. I will post process my 80+GB worth this weekend and will post them on my website below.

I am back here Feb 9-12 and 19-21. I hope for better weather .. blue skies, etc. would be nice.

My blog: http://marksmusings555.blogspot.com/

Mark

Too bad about the uncooperating weather, but these are still some great shots. I've been to Iowa's L&D 18 (near Burlington) a few times and it was incredible. The Mississippi is "the" place to shoot these guys in winter (unless you can afford a trip to Alaska).

Wow! Very nice work. Also, thanks for the tip on location.

Bill Brennan

Brian these shots are terrific. We can't always pick the light we get to work with, but you did a really nice job stopping the action. Everthing from the talons and to wing tips are razor sharp. Great work. Can you offer some suggestions on the location you visited. I've been shooting eagles locally and in Nebraska, looks like the action you had was exceptional.

For all you amateur wildlife photographers like myself, this was a awesome use of the auto-ISO feature. I wanted to keep my shots above 1/1250 but didn't want to have to keep changing my ISO values all day. I'm using a Nikon, but I'm assuming you can do the same on a Canon. I set it for auto-ISO, then said I didn't want it to go about ISO 1600, and then wanted it to stay above 1/1250 shutter. Way cool! Someone at the Locks showed me this feature. I had never tried it till this weekend.

Brian, I use this feature sometimes on my 7D, but I think it is only available on the 7D and maybe the 1D Mark Iv...only problem, is with Canon you cannot set the maximum ISO. Also, I have spoken to many pro wildlife photographers that use this method as well, not just the amateurs. For example Marsel Van Oosten who posts in the fauna gallery here frequently uses this method. I love it, just wish the Canon had the feature to set the maximum value.
Also, I have heard about this place and thought about making the trip. How long are the Eagles there for? Just wondering the best time to go.
And before I forget....terrific shots!!!! hard to choose a favorite.

Nice work Brian,

Again thanks for all the comments.

Ray: Send me a email and I'll answer any questions that I can.

Kurt: Thanks for the info. I'd never used the auto ISO feature until talking to another guy there at the locks. It really helped out a bunch. As for the times, I'm told that about mid Dec through mid March they are pretty active on the Mississippi, depending on weather conditions. The colder the better, as they tend to gather when the river freezes up.

Awesome!!! #1,4 and 5 are my faves!

Really great shots, Brian. I'm going with 1, 5, and 7.

Beautiful colection of shots. You inspired me to make the trip down from Wisconsin. You need to post some on the Midwest site when you get them processed.

Great set of images. What a regal bird. Kind of glad the turkey lost out.

Brian- Great work! You are right on with Lock and Dam 14. Thanks to this forum I was able to communicate with you and others about conditions on the Mississippi. I made the mistake originally of going to the high # count of Eagles at 18 & 19. The Eagles were too far away and were not active like at #14. I consider myself a landscape photographer but, I think i'm now hooked on wildlife too. Had a great time even with the lousy weather. Met many guys who make the trek to #14 every year. Will post some shots later in the week. Nice meeting you Brian!

WOW!

Hi Brian,
These are great! # 1, is just...Wow. Thanks for sharing these. Fantastic work.

Again thanks for the comments everyone.

I had a great time as well Bob, we will have to do it again sometime.

#1 certainly gets the prize! Great set, even with the bad weather.

Do you drive or fly out there?

Bill, we flew to Chicago and it's about a 2.5 hour drive to the L&D 14.

If anyone wants more details, feel free to email me.