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cameraCanon EOS 5D Mark III

settings Aperture f/6.3 ISO 800 Shutter 1/5000 

upload_dateJul, 2014

Views

1105

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Awards

Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Featured
Contest Finalist in Two Wings Photo Contest
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Peer Award
scouthunt2778 djalmaarmelin davidjprosser Tudorof 831John keithart billmartin_2615 +55
Superb Composition
ioanahan mackenziemorris aashijain Spothatcar nevadahalbert TrishaK. dustinsmith_5252 +36
Top Choice
shanereimer chelseamariemarabevillanueva miguelmoline robincunninghamwilkinson billbrandon Jaspa rebeccagruwell +33
Absolute Masterpiece
jamestreanor ninyangroxaspalagbas texbat lykrbripstr karenmstovallrice gabrielamoise vaitha +23
Superior Skill
mariadel joestanley marymwarnerthomas Elksong JoanLoBo Wendy-May philowen +5
Magnificent Capture
RickL davidbasson Albert-Serra-Photography jdd48jr Picture-It-All MelissaSword RhondaMcD +4
Outstanding Creativity
raepearl CherylsView McCall1989 kellyherren valeriaruiz SCHARCOURT shaker1986 +2
All Star
Carolle rayburns BrandonH b2bjacks Basciano_Photography jules1580 Roach1969
Great Find
cindysutter catalinconstantinlucan_6472
Jaw Dropping
gavincw

Top Ranks

Color Explorer Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Color Explorer Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Wings in Motion Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Open Wings Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Open Wings Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
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Open Wings Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Two Wings Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Two Wings Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Two Wings Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Animal Kingdom Photo Contest by BrenthavenTop 20 rank
Animal Kingdom Photo Contest by BrenthavenTop 20 rank week 2
Animal Kingdom Photo Contest by BrenthavenTop 10 rank week 1
4 Comments |
JDLifeshots
 
JDLifeshots July 02, 2014
Awesome capture! Awarded.
carlosramos
 
carlosramos March 04, 2015
Spectacular capture, congratulations !
RobinV
 
RobinV March 04, 2015
congrats on your place in the finals, good luck
RickL PRO+
 
RickL November 21, 2019
Excellent I sorry shot.

Submitted to Photo Contests
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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at the Patuxent Research Refuge, (South Tract), in Laurel, Maryland. The refuge was established in 1936 by executive order and is the nation's only national wildlife refuge established to support wildlife refuge. The area has wonderful trails for hiking and observing wildlife.

Time

This was taken early in the morning, early in the summer. The refuge was a short drive from my house, and I like to get out and shoot before everyone else gets up and gets moving. Osprey's are early fishers and I was hoping I'd have a chance to catch one in action. Another osprey disturbed his meal so this one flew off -- I was lucky enough to be in the flight path and was able to capture him head on.

Lighting

Early morning light works best for most of my wildlife shots - it's easier to capture the details of the animals. In this case the sun wasn't bright enough yet to have to adjust settings and it was more or less behind the osprey allowing me to capture the details on his face.

Equipment

At the time I was shooting a Canon 5DMarkIII, with a Tamron 150-600 lens. Hand held. I have since switched gears to a lighter camera (Sony 7RIV with a Sony 200-600 lens. I believe knowing how a bird, animal behaves normally is key to being able to anticipate a shot regardless of the equipment you are shooting with. In this case, to maintain a respectful distance, either a long fixed lens or telephoto lens are my go to.

Inspiration

Nature. Just walking in nature would be enough for me, but trying to capture what other's can't see and share those images is actually what inspires me. Since I first started I've become more of an advocate, pushing for the safe observance of wildlife.

Editing

I always shoot raw, so there I'm committed to post processing. In this case - I used photoshop, I sharpened the eyes slightly and performed a little shadow, highlight adjustment. I have since fallen in love with Topaz adjust - and if I did it again, I'd use the automatic sharpening in the Topaz to really make the details in the osprey pop.

In my camera bag

I always carry two camera bodies. I mount a wide angle (16-35mm) for landscapes on one and carry the 200-600 mounted on the second body for most of my birding. I generally pack a 90mm for macro work -- some of the patterns in nature lend themselves well to macro shots. I now have a monopod that has 3 small legs that can be deployed if I know I'm going to be doing some long range work. Extra batteries and extra cards are a must. My equipment now is all Sony, it has made the bag a lot lighter. I have a regular and ring flash - but seldom pack them unless I know I'm going to be using them in advance.

Feedback

Practice and know the habits of the bird, animal - whatever it is you are trying to capture. You should also know your gear, know how high you can push the iso, whether it's shooting manual or a mode that you are comfortable with, knowing how your camera works helps you capture split second images. I also take many shots...this particular image was a result of several being taken in burst mode. I also have a tendency to shoot the same area again and again, as the wildlife that moves thru seasonally changes - and you start to see patterns for where they hunt and hang out. Finally, I have taken the southbound end of a northbound bird more times than I care to admit - but that's part of the fun and the challenge of shooting moving targets. Keep shooting, and don't be afraid to ask for feedback from other's shooting the same type of thing.

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