Black Shouldered Kite
Taken a few blocks from my house.
Taken a few blocks from my house.
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Aug, 2015Views
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advandelisdonk
April 11, 2017
What a beautiful photo. I have seen many Kites in Wales. I love that bird.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken a few blocks from my home in Geelong, Australia, near Lake Connewarre. It is a black shouldered kite, a native bird of prey to Australia. They hover over fields looking for mice, rats and small birds, but it is not often that I have had one stay in place long enough for me to capture it.Time
This was taken late in the afternoon during summer.Lighting
Not really. It was summer, so the days are very long here. I have made adjustments in post-processing.Equipment
It was taken on my trusty Canon EOS 600D with a Sigma 500mm lens that was at full extension. I didn't use a tripod for this one, but often use a monopod when trying to capture birds.Inspiration
I had gone to a lookout over the lake that I didn't know was there (after 10 years of living near it!) and was waiting to take some interesting shots over the lake as sun colour can make huge changes over an afternoon in summer in Australia. Whilst there I wandered off and found that there was quite a bit of rural machinery and old farm gates that were interesting and then noticed that this kite was hovering in the same spot for some time. It would fly away in a big arc then come back to the same spot and hover for minutes at a time.Editing
I have to admit that this has had a bit of work, as he was a significant distance from me and by the time I cropped it the image was grainy. I always believe that if something is grainy, emphasise it! I have added in some harsher grain in Lightroom after doing a significant crop. I have also brought up the golden tones and added the sun flare. There was a small natural sun flare in the original but it wasn't all that impressive so I pumped it up.In my camera bag
Depending on whether I am with my husband or not, I will sometimes have the Canon 5D mark iii with me as well as the 600D. If I am on my own I carry one on each hip with a double sling, with different lenses. I always have my trusty 50mm lens, a 10-22mm for wide angle and a 100mm Macro lense, which is extremely versatile. If I am going somewhere specifically to capture birds or animals I will also take the 500mm or the 70-200mm if my husband isn't with me. (having two people with backpack bags doubles the number of lenses you can carry!) Always have spare batteries, cleaning kit and being in Australia I have a pocket dedicated to sunscreen, insect repellent and various other little essentials.Feedback
1. Be patient. Birds and animals are never predictable so be prepared to wait for them to be in the right spot. 2. Shoot multiple shots. The beauty of digital is that you can take lots of the same shot and then pick the one that is exactly right. The wing position on this one was the best from about eight that I took. 3. Shoot in RAW. There is so much you can do to adjust your images but you can always return them to the originals. The files are bigger, but they are worth it. 4. Trial a few different post-production programs until you find the one that suits you best. I use Lightroom for Mac, but there are many out there from absolutely basic to very technically involved and once you find it, your photos will never look better!
