_IGP0226
Jan, 2015Views
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kmessmer53
November 12, 2015
Wow! This image is in the top 20% of all images viewed in 2015. Very cool...
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico. All the birds of prey who reside there have been rehabilitated to a good degree, however, their injuries are such that they cannot be returned to the wild.Time
Every year the Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico hosts a photographer breakfast. The donation is $50 which is used to help with the rehabilitation of the birds. It starts at 9 a.m. and goes to Noon. Everyone arrived and it was cold and cloudy - perfect shooting weather! We ate, had our coffee (the elixir of life!) and they began bringing out the birds for our photographing pleasure. And what a pleasure it was! This particular bird was sitting on a tree branch and no one was paying him any attention. I walked over with my camera, focused on him and he rewarded me with this lovely spread of his wings. Gorgeous. I stayed for a bit and he gave me some other poses and as I walked away he started squawking as if saying, "don't go". I turned one more time for just one more shot and he was satisfied.Lighting
No special lighting. It was shot on a wonderfully cloudy, sunless morning, which is my favorite way to shoot.Equipment
This was shot on a Pentax K20D with a 70-300mm telephoto lens, ISO 100, f4.5, 1/500 sec., manual, hand held.Inspiration
I'm an animal activist - sort of - and even if an animal is less than perfect, it doesn't mean they aren't beautiful. This guy was amazing with those big, beautiful eyes, his lovely feathers and his demeanor was such that he could convey his beauty to anyone who was willing to stop and look long enough to see it.Editing
I did hardly any post on this image at all. I bumped up the exposure a hair and took some dirt and debris out around his mouth, but that was it.In my camera bag
I have three cameras in my bag...my old Pentax K20D as backup, my Pentax K3, a Canon G11 Power Shot which shoots RAW (unusual in a point and shoot) and then my lenses. I have a 100mm macro, my 70-300mm telephoto and a 50mm f/1.4 prime. I carry them everywhere. I know, lots of gear, but I use it all at some point, so better to tote around a little extra weight than to be caught without it.Feedback
When you're working with wildlife - as with most things in photography - you have to practice patience. I started out back in the dark ages with film and it was expensive to just click away and come away with nothing. I learned to be patient then and it carried through into digital. I have to laugh to myself when I hear a photographer say - "Dude, I shot over a thousand pictures and came away with about five worth keeping. It was epic!" Well, think about that for a second. If he was shooting film, he'd go bankrupt! One word...patience.
