Bald Eagle
Dec, 2014Views
1421
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Awards
Winner in In Flight Photo Challenge
Top Choice
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Genius
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kariwellborn
December 21, 2015
Congratulations on the win in my IN FLIGHT Challenge, this is a magnificent capture!
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Higgins Point, Lake Coeur d'Alene, IdahoTime
1:40pmLighting
Although the bird is back-lit, having a clear blue sky and snow on the ground as well as the lake (all about 20 feet below) reflected the light back up to bring out the underbelly and wings- it worked just right!Equipment
Canon EOS 70D, 300L Canon lens with 1.4 extender, tripod.Inspiration
Our area is blessed with migrating Bald Eagles every winter that are here from November through January, feasting on the spawning Kokanee salmon (that's what's in its claws). There are several trees that we like to call Picnic Trees because the birds will generally perch on the same branches in the same trees to consume their catch. It can be pretty busy out there, especially on the weekends when the "eagle paparazzi" are there. I work in downtown Coeur d'Alene, which is just 10 minutes from this area and am able to go out there on my lunch break, as was the case with this picture.Editing
In this case, the left side was un-cropped, but for balance, I cropped a bit from the right and the bottom. I brought out the under belly and wings just a bit with Lightroom, with Photoshop to add my signature and to use Topaz Labs DeNoise 4 on the background.In my camera bag
My camera with the 300 and extender and my tripod.Feedback
Tracking! It can be daunting, and while I wait for the perfect eagle moment to play out, I practice on the gulls that are all over, catching the same fish. Knowing what trees they frequent makes it easier to get ahead of the bird as it is flying towards its branch. I keep the lens focused just before the branch, panning along the flight path the last 10-20 feet. This bird landed about 6 feet to the right of this shot.
