Hard to believe a bird this big can be as graceful as it is.
Hard to believe a bird this big can be as graceful as it is.
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Rule of Thirds Photo Contest vol12
Winner in I Believe I Can Fly! Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Top Ranks
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Aeri
September 11, 2020
Congratulations on your well deserved challenge win🥳🥳🥳 kind regards Lokesh Aeri🙏🙏🙏🙏
Maadhatter
September 11, 2020
Stunning capture!! Congratulations on winning the "I Believe I Can Fly" Photo Challenge. Well deserved.
charterswilliamosborne
September 12, 2020
Beautiful bird and shot. Congratulations on a well deserved win,
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on the shore of a small pond in Boyd Skinner Park in Pinedale, Wyoming. Pinedale is at 7,200 feet right below the Wind River Mountains.Time
This was taken on May 22, 2020 at 7:32 am.Lighting
The sky was overcast which meant no glaring sunlight or harsh shadows.Equipment
Canon 1DX, Canon (40 year old) 500mm lens, 1/1600, ISO 2000, f/5.0; Wimberley WH200 Gimbal Head; Gitzo Series 5 Systematic 4 Section Tripod Other invaluable equipment/clothing: Neoprene waders, long underwear, several layers of cotton/wool, a down jacket, heavy gloves. Pocket hand warmers.Inspiration
I have been a photographer for over 60 years, but it was not until the advent of affordable digital photography about 20 years ago that I became obsessed with the pursuit of wildlife photos in general and avian photos in particular. Pinedale and its surroundings routinely support perhaps a dozen nesting pairs of Sandhill Cranes each year. I had been watching this spot for several days and knew there was a nest in the immediate area. This pair would peck at a bit of grass for display to each other. One crane or the other would come and go to and from the nest and I happened to catch this crane immediately after takeoff. I spent about 20 hours over three days in my blind in rain, wind and chill but managed to eventually get a photo of the day old chick in addition to this image. Patience pays.Editing
I uploaded to my MacBook Pro with Photo Mechanic 6. I have been using Photoshop for almost 20 years and know how to use perhaps only 30% of its methods of manipulation. I reduced the size of this image from 5184 pixels wide to 3000 pixels wide, sharpened a small bit with Topaz AI Clear and that was about it.In my camera bag
Canon 1DX, Canon 70-200mm, Canon 16-35mm, Canon 100mm macro lens, Canon 500mm. Miscellaneous filters.Feedback
Try a blind. Often wildlife is spooky and disappears before you can get a shot. But in a blind the wildlife becomes accustomed to the blind and doesn't notice the lens moving allowing photos that would have been out of reach otherwise. Dress for the conditions. Be patient, be patient, be patient.