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This pair of eagles shared a branch together during the migration. If one could only listen to the conversations and tales of the places they have been. ...
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This pair of eagles shared a branch together during the migration. If one could only listen to the conversations and tales of the places they have been.
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Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken along a creek in William Goddard State Park in PA. The eagles were sitting on a branch which stretched over the creek along with about 5 other eagles in the area.Time
This was taken mid afternoon just when the eagles were beginning to get active for their evening meal. I waited for the light to be behind me even though it was a cloudy day.Lighting
This creek is a tough place to shoot because of the shade trees on either side. I was lucky this day that it was bright but cloudy with no harsh shadows.Equipment
The camera I use is a Canon 7D MII with a 500mm, 4.5f. This was taken out my car window off a bean bag. I typically use a tripod, but, needed the cover of the car for these shots.Inspiration
Eagles are my favorite subjects to photograph. I enjoy all wildlife but they are special to me. I spent this day with several migrating eagles who were in search of food. The lake which the creek flows out of was completely frozen over leaving them little opportunity for their favorite meal of fish. Many of them congregated along the creek because it was the only open water around. The adult in the foreground chose this particular branch for it's location over the creek and a clear path to the water. I believe the juvenile saw the wisdom in the location and was quick to find a spot on the same branch. It didn't last very long as the adult was annoyed with the company and flew off.Editing
Since I shoot in raw I do a bit of post-processing. I use LightRoom 5.7 and start by cropping the pictures for composition. As with most wildlife photographers, I concentrate on getting good focus when shooting (focus on the eye) and then worry about composition in post. Once I have it cropped I look at exposure, contrast, shadows, and highlights. Lastly I look at the color and saturation, but, only with a light touch typically. This particular photo really doesn't have much work done on it. It is cropped and the exposer was raised some. I added a bit of black and white to balance out the histogram and that's about it.In my camera bag
I travel light pretty much always. I usually have my camera, lens, tripod, and cable trigger. I don't use filters or flash much at all. I do keep a few lens handy in my car; 17 - 40mm, 70-200, and 100-400. Add a few cleaning supplies and that's it.Feedback
Time! Wildlife photography takes a lot of time finding the right place, learning the habits of your subject, figuring out where they feed, rest, play etc. It all takes a lot of prep work. Watch for the right moment. For this photo, I spent an hour watching the tree before an eagle landed in it. I was photographing the adult when the juvenile surprised me by landing right behind. Instead of taking hundreds of pictures hopeing for the right pose, I waited for the heads to be facing similar directions and snapped a few photos of the moment. It lasted only minutes and it was gone. Being prepared with the right settings before something shows up is a must. Check your settings often as the light changes and moments happen in an instant!
