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An Osprey was perched on a tree over the path that lead back to my car at Clear Lake, California. I thought it would fly away as I walked under it, but it seeme...
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An Osprey was perched on a tree over the path that lead back to my car at Clear Lake, California. I thought it would fly away as I walked under it, but it seemed more curious than scared.
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Aug, 2014Views
2236
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in Ospreys Only Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Genius
Great Find
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
PRO+
Platinum
cghalford
January 10, 2015
Your photo has reached the top 3% of my wildlife portraits with personality challenge
Platinum
cghalford
January 10, 2015
Your photo has reached the top 3% of my wildlife portraits with personality challenge
judithstopforth
February 14, 2015
Well done! You did a fantastic job at capturing the moment. The lighting is very good and the eyes are well in focus leading you into the picture. It is also a cute moment.
Roach1969
September 15, 2015
Fantastic capture & great shot... Thank you for entering my challenge :D
headstandphotography
January 24, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
MitchellWentzell
October 30, 2016
Thanks for entering my Ospreys Only Challenge and congrats on the PC win. Great photo Alan.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I found this Osprey along the shore of Clear Lake in Lake County, California. It had perched on a branch right above the path that led back to my car, and didn't fly off when I walked right underneath it.Time
The homeward stretch of a road trip to Sacramento took me by Clear Lake during the mid afternoon. I wasn't in a huge hurry to get home, so I decided to stop and explore the lake a bit before continuing on my way.Lighting
Only natural light is at play here.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D800 and Sigma 120-300mm zoom with a 2X teleconverter, handheld.Inspiration
I love watching and photographing raptors, so I was blown away by having such a close encounter with this Osprey. As I was looking up at it, it was looking down at me and bobbing its head to inspect me, seemingly much more curious than scared. After a round of photos, I continued on my way and left it to perch in peace.Editing
There is some highlight and shadow recovery to compensate for harsh light on a high-contrast subject, color balance adjustments and it is cropped for composition.In my camera bag
I normally carry a Nikon D500 and Sigma 300-800mm zoom for photographing birds.Feedback
Some raptors are more camera-friendly than others, and it's hard to know how a wild animal will react to your presence until you're actually there with it. However, it probably helped in this case that I was positioned quietly nearby the Osprey's perch for some time before it arrived. Most animals will be more tolerant of having people nearby if they are a still and quiet part of the landscape when the animal arrives.
