I don't think there is too much to beat you up about. It looks like a Red-tailed hawk to me, but I'm not a master at ID like some people on the forum. I like the pose. The branches are sort of busy and distracting, but that was the environment he was in.
He looks a little light, like maybe the shadows were opened up on him. I think I would have gone the opposite way and lightened the branches somewhat and darkened the dark areas of the hawk and punched up his contrast.
What camera/lens combo were you using and where was it shot? It ain't bad.
Posted by Erik Lundh on March 21, 2010 at 10:05 PM
Not bad for a landscape photographer!
Posted by John Williams on March 21, 2010 at 10:31 PM
I like Erik's answer.
Looks good Christopher, the posture of the bird is a great attention grabber. The background distracts a little, but not bad. (You are correct, it is a Red-tail. Remember, if in doubt call it a Red-tail around this area. You'll be correct most of the time.)
Posted by Craig Strand on March 22, 2010 at 12:40 AM
Nice capture Christopher, what makes it great is all the branch clutter isn't between he and you. Toning down the lighting in a backlit situation is always difficult. I'm listening if anyone has the secret!
Thanks for your comments and suggestions, this was shot at Ridgefield a few weeks back.
Device: Nikon D200
Lens: VR 70-300mm
Focal Length: 300mm
Exposure Mode: Manual
ISO Sensitivity: (ISO 200)
Posted by David Bostock on March 22, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Christopher, you've caught the hawk in the perfect pose, poised to launch. It gives the image a sense of movement, anticipation. The background is what it is, and there's not a lot you can do about that. As Craig said, the hawk is in the foreground in front of the clutter. I agree that you might be able to use some highlight recovery to tone down the sky...but try to not impact the lighting on the bird.
Discussion
11 repliesHe looks a little light, like maybe the shadows were opened up on him. I think I would have gone the opposite way and lightened the branches somewhat and darkened the dark areas of the hawk and punched up his contrast.
What camera/lens combo were you using and where was it shot? It ain't bad.
Looks good Christopher, the posture of the bird is a great attention grabber. The background distracts a little, but not bad. (You are correct, it is a Red-tail. Remember, if in doubt call it a Red-tail around this area. You'll be correct most of the time.)
Device: Nikon D200
Lens: VR 70-300mm
Focal Length: 300mm
Exposure Mode: Manual
ISO Sensitivity: (ISO 200)
Really nice action anticipation shot.
http://mitch.zenfolio.com/img/v7/p714513567-4.jpg