Diagonal compositions of raptors in flight are a favorite of mine.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 271mm, not baited, set up or called in
I spent some time at dawn yesterday morning with this cooperative light morph Swainson’s Hawk in northern Utah. After photographing it from a distance with my 500 mm lens I had to pass close to the bird in order to continue down the road so I switched over to my “baby lens” in anticipation of possible takeoff shots. When the bird crouched slightly prior to liftoff I began firing a burst to see if I’d get lucky despite the light angle that made it unlikely that I’d get light on the face or in the eye.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 271mm, not baited, set up or called in
This is the only shot that had any light in the eye at all.
I’ve always been a sucker for compositions of birds in flight where the subject mostly fills the frame diagonally from corner to corner. When they’re at that angle their tail is usually widely spread and that flight posture often provides a bit of drama that I appreciate. And in this image I like the mountains in the background, the horizon line that grounds the bird and the fence post perch the hawk just vacated.
True, my smaller zoom lens doesn’t have quite the image quality of my larger prime lens and the background is less blurred and creamy at these shorter focal lengths but I got the shot without clipping or cutting off any body parts.
And given that choice I’ll take the unclipped image almost every time.
Ron
Beautiful shots with that “baby lens” ! Fantastic. I’d love to get such results.
And I’d love to get them more often, Joanne.
Wow super cool Ron!
Thanks, Barby.
What a beautiful shot of the hawk taking off. I had to ‘google’ to learn that the wing span is 46″ – 54″, which I think is quite amazing. I love the spread of those tail feathers and the color of the bird. Don’t mean to tell you things you probably already know, but their migration is 14,000 miles. WOW
Thank you, Ron.
Yup, they have an incredibly long migration, Alice. All the way from Argentina to North America and then back again every year. That’s one of the reasons I so look forward to their return every spring.
Your responses to my/other comments mean so much. I look forward to them. Thank you.
As I so often say – beauty, grace, style. And I also really like the curve of individual feathers in the wing tips…
And as I equally often say, megathanks.
Thank you, EC.
Simply gorgeous — the bird, the light on its face, the take-off angle with wings and tail spread so we can appreciate all those beautiful feathers, patterns and colors, the image background, and the old weathered post — it’s all there! (I have to admit, I’ll take comparatively peaceful-looking Swainson’s over angry-looking Harriers almost any day — though I do appreciate their dire situation in yesterday’s post and understand why it’s important to see how dramatic life in the wild really is.) Thanks for sharing, Ron, glad you’re feeling well enough to be out there among ’em!
Chris, both types of images you describe have their appeal for me for different reasons. Thank you.
Very nicely done! I also like it when the diagonal bird fills the frame. I hope you’ll forgive me for saying this, but there is a spot (apparently on your lens) that appears in both photos. Not sure what that’s about because it’s in two different locations…
Thanks, Susan. Yes, those “spots” are a result of the physics of photography in certain situations and lighting conditions. Sometimes you’ll see many of them. I considered cloning them out but they don’t bother me much so I left them in.
Beautiful takeoff shot! Dramatic indeed! The diagonal position of the wings and the spread tail are impressive. And I like that one set of toes is spread out while the other is in a fist. The half shadowed, half glowing eye is also very interesting. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Good eye regarding those toes, Myriam. Thanks.
I like a lot about the take off image…the less blurry background,the colors, the horizon, the vertical post, the angle of the wings, the upturned primaries, the flared tail, the softly couded blue sky…and the motning light…..
That’s quite a list, Patty. Thank you.
Here we go with that OH WOW! thing again! 😉 I love the diagonal takeoffs too. They’re just so spectacular! But then, raptors and birds in general are spectacular. I’ve never been able to describe it adequately beyond that they have a grace of being in this world that humans don’t have. Once again, our language just doesn’t go where I need it to go. Our available words are so mundane in describing the sheer, raw beauty and wonderfulness. Wonder why that is?
What a special way to begin the day!
Today, I’m going to switch to being a race fan for the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, assuming the weather cooperates. We’ll see. Yesterday, the weather predictions were dire. This morning, not so much.
Thanks, Laura. Have fun watching your races!
Gorgeous bird in that early morning light! I like the little sliver of light that snuck though and hit the underside as well as the shadow the bird is casting over the post. What a fabulous way to start my day!
Interesting that you mention the shadow on the post, Marty. I meant to mention it in my text but forgot to.
*Hums theme from the Twilight Zone* We’re starting to think alike. You should be nervous — I’m pretty bizarre. 😉
You did it again! Thanks, Kent
🙂
You hit that one right, congratulations, beautiful flying shot!!
Thanks for sharing! Have a great Memorial Day weekend
You too, Dick. Enjoy your (finally) warmer weather!
Great shots Ron!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Your work has amazed me by showing how much body, wing and tail shaping your subjects do to provide the flight profile they desire. #2 is one of your best IMHO. Thanks for your efforts
Thank you for the very kind comment, Bill.
Beautiful! 🙂 I’ll take that shot any time!
Thank you, Judy.