Osprey Trout
Mar, 2013Views
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MichelleRosePhotography
March 30, 2013
Congrats awesome shot, how long did you have to wait for this shot?
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jaideblueafterglow
December 29, 2014
you constantly amaze with your ability to capture animals as if they pose for you!
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barbaraplunkettturner
November 03, 2016
Truly a once-in-a-lifetime shot for a Photographer! I have a few but nothing like this! What a close-up! Or you're good with the long lens!
andrevondeling
February 28, 2018
Nice! With a fish that big I hope you had some time before it took off!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a lake in Southern California where I knew the Osprey were active late in the day. I had been scouting out the various locations along the shoreline for the previous three or four days. I knew I had to get a good feel for where the Osprey were hunting if I wanted any chance of getting a killer shot of these expert fishermen in action. It turned out that most of the time the Osprey were hunting in the shallow water along the west side of the lake...this was perfect as it allowed me to shoot with the setting sun at my back.Time
I remember this well since this is perhaps my all time favorite of all my photographs. I had to drive south from Los Angeles about an hour to get to the lake where I was hoping to capture the Osprey in action. I left my office at 2:45PM and got caught in nasty traffic. It took 2 hours to arrive at the lake so that put me on location at 4:45PM. A brief 5 minute walk and I was in position at 4:50PM with high hopes of a great action shot...A perfect time to shoot with the golden light from the setting sun behind me. Little did I know that the shot I would soon snap would be the once-in-a-lifetime capture you see here.Lighting
I knew that I had to shoot from the West side of the lake to take advantage of the setting sun behind me. We all know how magical that golden, warm light is late in the day. Since I arrived at 4:45 I estimated that I had a good solid hour to shoot with the perfect lighting supporting my efforts. And I knew from my previous visits that these beautiful raptors hunted frequently along the western shore, so I was hopeful and confident that I would manage to get some OK shots. I had no idea that I would soon be snapping what would immediately become my favorite and most talked about photograph.Equipment
I was using my trusty Canon 7D with my Canon 100-400mm zoom lens. I had my camera set to shutter speed priority with shutter speed of 1/1250. I hand hold in the field since I frequently shoot birds in flight and I find using a tripod is too restricting for me. I was leaning back against a tree, scanning the sky above me for any sign that a circling Osprey was soon to dive.Inspiration
I love shooting raptors. I find the most compelling shots of these majestic creatures are action shots, birds in flight, capturing prey, striking the water etc. I believe that these types of shots best portray the grace, elegance and power of these skilled predators. Prior to this outing I had very little success shooting Osprey until my friend told me about this lake where the Osprey "go off". So armed with my Canon gear and a vision in my head, I decided to spend a few afternoons checking out the lake to see if I could get any action shots worthy of sending to friends and family. Part of my determination was the need to validate my photographic talents. I never dreamed that I'd be in such a perfect spot at such a perfect time, with such perfect lighting to arrive at this shot.Editing
I did some very slight cropping and boosted the saturation a tad to try and bring out the subtle shades of grey, silver and brown that are dominant on the Osprey.In my camera bag
My bag always has my Canon 7D body with my Canon 100-400mm zoom lens attached. That is the set-up I use 90% of the time when I am shooting birds in flight. I also have my stock Canon 28-135mm 'all purpose' lens and my Canon Macro 100mm f/2.8 which I use for portrait work and macro shots. I have the Canon 1.4x III TC that I will attach from time to time when I am shooting subjects that are really far away and primarily stationary. My flash is the Canon Speedlight 580 (I think) and a bunch of extra batteries and compactflash cards. Oh and I try to keep some trail mix in there too for snacking.Feedback
I shoot primarily birds so some of this advice may not apply to everyone. I always spend a lot of time studying the subject that I am trying to photograph before I attempt any shots. What time of day is it most active? Where does it hang out? How does it respond to my presence? How close can I get before it flies away? When does it hunt? What does it hunt? How does it behave during breeding season? How does it respond to adverse weather? etc. I have found that the more I know about the bird I plan to shoot, the better prepared I will be to position myself in the right place, at the right time, with the right lighting to capture a truly magical moment.
