Kestrel in mid-air
Kestrels are small Falcons, and are incredible flyers. Their amazing control enables them to fly very fast when needed (some have been clocked at up to 300km-h)...
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Kestrels are small Falcons, and are incredible flyers. Their amazing control enables them to fly very fast when needed (some have been clocked at up to 300km-h), and also to remain in a specific spot in mid-air using rapid wing-movement.
This photo shows a male Common Kestrel (males have grey heads, as opposed to the females who have the body color pattern on their heads as well, and are a bit larger) as he is dancing in mid-air, looking for prey in the ground below.
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This photo shows a male Common Kestrel (males have grey heads, as opposed to the females who have the body color pattern on their heads as well, and are a bit larger) as he is dancing in mid-air, looking for prey in the ground below.
Read less
Feb, 2017Views
774
Likes
Awards
Winner in Birds of Prey Photo Challenge
Member Selection Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Genius
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Top 10 rank
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Top 10 rank
Categories
Ultimate
Grollie
April 19, 2017
congrats on winning the challenge "birds of prey" !!!
(300km/h is I think the speed for the Peregrine falcon, not the common kestrel)
greetz,
(300km/h is I think the speed for the Peregrine falcon, not the common kestrel)
greetz,
Platinum
hiyahercfarm
April 20, 2017
Beautiful capture! Congratulations on winning the challenge. Well deserved.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at the fields not far from my house. The Kestrels go there to catch the occasional mouse or insect. I'm a self-taught nature/wildlife photographer, and have been following the Kestrels for a while now - they're very impressive in flight!Time
This was taken close to noon. I hiked to the nearby water reservoir in the morning of that day, hoping to catch some waterfowl. That did not work out at all, but I saw a couple of Kestrels hunting nearby, unfortunately they were a bit too far to get a good photo of. Around 11:30 I finally gave up and started making my way back home. On the way I noticed a shadow, and looking up saw this male Kestrel less than 10 meters away from me in perfect position! I grabbed my camera and fired a series of shots and was fortunate enough to capture some great poses. This is definitely my favorite picture from that batch! Actually, it's one of my favorite pictures of all time :)Lighting
The sun is high above but a little behind me, so the Kestrel is relatively well-lit and all it's features can be nicely observed. I still had to brighten the picture up a bit since the sky was very bright that day.Equipment
This was shot with a Panasonic GX8 and a Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 lens. I love that combination since it combines very good image quality with outstanding reach and speed in a package that can be hand-held easily.Inspiration
I have been observing the Kestrels hunting in the area for months now - they're incredible raptors, with amazing flying skills. I always look for the chance to grab a good photo of a flying Kestrel, trying to get as near as I can to showing how great they are in real life.Editing
I use out of camera JPEGs, but do some post processing. I use a plugin I developed for GIMP to do some sharpening on the edges, while removing noise from other areas of the photo. I also brightened the photo a little, since the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly, making for a very bright sky.In my camera bag
I usually hike with just my camera (Panasonic GX8) and Lens (Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3). This gives me a lightweight (1.5kg) package with incredible reach (800mm in full-frame terms). The camera focuses fast enough for catching most birds in flight. When I remember to I also carry a close-up filter with me. Just in case I want to really magnify something small. Occasionally (but not on that day) I carry a tripod or monopod. Sometimes I also take the Panasonic 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH POWER OIS LUMIX G VARIO lens, if I plan on taking some landscape photos as well.Feedback
To capture birds in flight, you need to practice a lot. Initially it's very frustrating - getting the bird into the frame is not easy, and the camera doesn't always focus fast enough. You need to familiarize yourself with the various camera options regarding autofocus and light measurement, and pick the options that work best for you. Over time you get better at getting the bird into the frame quickly and following it while it flies. You also need the right equipment - autofocus needs to be fast enough and a good sharp lens with good reach is required - as birds rarely get really close... And finally - be ready to "throw away" lots of pictures. To capture the best pose a bird makes, you usually need to take bursts of photos of the bird and select the best one. It's not uncommon for me to come back from a morning in the field with 2000 pictures and only keep 20 of them in the end.
