Batesphoto
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Awards
Zenith Award
Contest Finalist in Winter Wildlife Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Anything Birds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wildlife In The Snow Photo Contest
Featured
People's Choice in Wild Birds of Prey Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Survival Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Jaw Dropping
All Star
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was shot in Naperville Illinois, in the backyard of a good friend who called me to report it. He said "the biggest hawk he has ever seen just nailed a squirrel in his backyard",Time
It was the morning and I was ready for church in my suit and trench coat. When I got to his house - on the way to church - he lent me his winter boots to go out into the yard to get better shots. I got within 10 feet of the bird, who was prepared to fight for the squirrel.Lighting
It was overcast which helped the situation. If it had been sunny the contrast of the snow background would have been challenging.Equipment
I used a Nikon 800 with a Nikkor 80-400 telephoto.Inspiration
The tremendous opportunity to capture the raw reality of the circle of life in nature.Editing
A friend helped with some improvements to show detail in the snow and the contrast balance.In my camera bag
The Nikon with the telephoto is what I always use for nature work. The one exception is the 55mm micro I use for macro work.Feedback
Make sure your friend's know you like to take nature photos in case they see something interesting, Network with other photographers to learn where they have had interesting sightings.