Male Northern Harrier – Gray On Gray

I have a hectic day in front of me so this will be a short post.

I’ve mentioned before that I tend to be a fan of monochromatic images.  This photo is an example.

 

northern harrier 7380 ron dudley

 1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in

I photographed this male Northern Harrier earlier this month as it hunted the causeway to Antelope Island.  The grayish-browns of the bird are similar to the grays of the Great Salt Lake mudflats in the background.  Monochromatic images like this may be an acquired taste for many and it was through the influence of my friend and photographer Richard Ditch that I learned to appreciate them.

I took quite a few shots of this bird as it hunted but because of the sun angle most of them had no light on the side of the face or the eye.  This image was a fortunate exception.

Ron

16 Comments

  1. Ron, the action of the hawk makes the sky come alive. Thanks

  2. I love the subtleties of this shot….reminds me of a sumi-e painting (evil iPad kept changing that to “Susie”). It’s a great study in values ( lights, darks and mediums)’..Love upturned primaries in right wing. .Nice!!!

  3. I particularly like monochromatic images if they are gray on gray Harrier shots. Would trade my next born child for one!

  4. And the more I look, the more colours I see. Subtle, beautiful. Thank you – and success with your hectic day.

  5. This is simply spectacular. I would hang this on my wall.

  6. Charlotte Norton

    Beautiful flight shot!
    Charlotte

  7. I love this photo. The bird is magnificent and the gray background only makes it’s colors look better. Marvelous!

  8. Jorge H. Oliveira

    Personally I am not very fond of monochromatic images probably because I am not used to, but I must admit this photo is magnificent.
    Perhaps with time and some more wonderful examples I will change my mind…

  9. No acquired taste required for me. I’ve loved monochromatic color schemes for a long time. This is a gorgeous photo.

  10. Beautiful Image Ron. The lighting is terrific and there is just enough accent color on the beak and eyes that really make the image “pop”.

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