Connection

An interesting thing about the Harris’s Hawk is that they hunt in packs.

ISO 50mm f/5.6 1/1000

This photo was taken at a falconry show at Leeds Castle.  For these birds, having a connection with a larger group makes hunting easier. I thinking blogging is similar, it’s more rewarding when you are part of a larger community. Just this past week I published my 500th post. I started this blog with the idea of using it as a journal.  It was be a way for me to keep track of my photography journey; specifically I wanted to write about how I was editing photos. It’s been a good way to keep track of what I’ve tried and what has or hasn’t worked.  What I wasn’t really counting on when I began blogging was the visitors to my site, many of them bloggers themselves.  They would leave a comment or like a post which would lead me to look at and comment on their work.  It’s been a conversation that has improved my work, helped me think more critically about my editing process. Also, I’ve seen other people at work in their photography in ways that I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t a part of this blogging community.

When I took this photo, I knew there would be some work to be done before it was finished. The photo was taken under really harsh lighting conditions. I was glad that I had my Canon 50D with me, which meant that I could shoot in RAW. Basically, I knew the detail I would want to see in the final edit would be available in the RAW file, even if I couldn’t see it here in the original photo:

ISO 50mm f/5.6 1/1000

The first Photoshop edit I made was to work with the highlights and shadows.  I knew I wanted to bring out more details in the wings and that was a way to start.  I also did a slight levels adjustment and then some sharpening.  Sometimes, I start my editing with cropping, but in this case I left it to the end.  The crop wasn’t extreme, but I do think it made the composition more interesting.

How do you like the final editing outcome? They are beautiful birds aren’t they?  Feel free to leave a comment below.  I’d also like to take a moment to thank all my readers over the past few years, I appreciate what you have added to my photographic journey.

Cheers!

Same Harris Hawk, Different Day

It all started with this post when I first wrote about this Harris Hawk and asked for your opinion on how you would have handled it if you were the photographer.  I got some interesting feedback, and I have tried most of the suggestions, with the exception of this,  “I might try an unorthodox approach of treating a relatively still subject like it was in motion: ISO 400, 1/400 – 1/500 @ f/4.5 – f/4.”  An interesting idea considering the bird is pretty still as birds go. The author of the suggestion writes, Modes of Flight Blog, which covers many types of photography so check it out if you are interested.  So I went this morning to give it a try.

Didn’t work, and I’ll tell you why.  The 50mm lens I sometimes borrow, is in the camera bag of its actual owner.  Without that, I really don’t have a lens that can  handle the shutter speed/f-stop combination that had been suggested.  So, I will have to try again when I have the 50mm lens on me.  Here is what worked out today:

ISO 320 105mm f/5.6 1/30

This was my best overall color and clarity of feathers shot.

ISO 160 135mm f/5.6 1/6

And this was the best in terms of an interesting bird shot. Both photos were taken using a tripod and have been cropped and sharpened.

I will go back to reshoot at some point.

Cheers!

 

Harris hawk with Flash

Those of you who read my blog (thanks) know that I have been working on some photos of a Harris Hawk.  You can see my previous posts here and here.  The picture in this post was taken using a flash.

ISO 200 50mm f/2 1/250

This was the best shot of the morning, and I like that you can see the various shades of brown in the bird.  When I put it up to 200% magnification, it holds up pretty well in terms of clarity with the exception of the tail feathers.

This shot was taken using a 50mm lens.  It was also handheld because I forgot my tripod (umm, hello!) it was a bit early, but still.  I do usually pack up my camera gear the night before, for exactly this reason.

From the comments in the original post  I have one more way that I am going to approach this bird.  Thanks to all who left their thoughts!  So far this flash version is my favorite, but what do you think?

Cheers!

Harris Hawk in Black and White

Last week I wrote this post about a photo I took of a Harris Hawk.  I asked for some feedback; thanks to all of you that wrote a comment.  One of them was a suggestion that I post process in black and white.  It just so happens that I was back to see the hawk a few days after I had taken the original photo, and I actually took it in black and white.  Here is what I consider the best of that series:

ISO 160 50mm f/3.5 1/40

I’m just not crazy about it, because of the lack of detail in the face.  Here is the picture from the first post, just so you can see them near one another:

ISO 125 50mm f/5 1/25

Thoughts?

Cheers!

 

How would you approach this?

This is a Harris Hawk:

ISO 125 50mm f/5 1/25

I used the 50mm lens because I thought it would give me a more detailed shot.  I am trying to show the lovely variations of brown that are in the feathers of this bird.  They are nice, but it is hard to get enough contrast to really show what is there.  The fact that it sits mostly in the shade is working against me too.  Any thoughts on how you might approach it?

Cheers!