Coastal Raptor
Sharp shinned hawks are a common sight along the rocky cliffs and bluffs of California's Pacific coast. They are especially drawn to the many agricultural...
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Sharp shinned hawks are a common sight along the rocky cliffs and bluffs of California's Pacific coast. They are especially drawn to the many agricultural fields that line the bluffs because of the mice that abound there!
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Mar, 2017Views
617
Likes
Awards
Winner in HAWKS Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rankCategories
Platinum
mcampi
March 07, 2017
This is a master piece. It should be printed and framed. Capturing the splayed feathers are just amazing. I see you were able to show the other birds staying away from his domain... Mark
Platinum
trainwoman
March 07, 2017
This is fantastic....Mark is right...a masterpiece. Beautiful background detail and crisp focus on the raptor.....
JulesB
March 08, 2017
Just love your edits and the overall tone of this and your other shots....thumbs up for all your nice work (*_*)
PRO+
PRO
kathyk_abq
March 17, 2017
Amazing piece of art, NIna! So many details and a perfect, dramatic edit! :)
PRO+
mihrt
March 31, 2017
Congrats Nina for having this composition featured in the AWAKE magazine !! PAGE 11 !! Wow, feel so happy fro you !! also your 'soul seach' White tiger image.....same page!!
PRO+
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
PRO+
karensommerslohre
September 11, 2017
AWESOME!!! I have awarded you as my Winner in my HAWKS Challenge~It's magnificent! Thanks ever so, Karen
Platinum
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo of the hawk was taken at Wilder Ranch State Park on the Pacific coast just north of Santa Cruz, California. Background photos were taken near Monterey, also along the coast.Time
The main photo of the hawk was taken in the early afternoon. He had been "posing" for quite some time on a fence post then suddenly took off and began to soar with the thermals along the cliffs.Lighting
It was a bright sunny day with no clouds. The sun was almost directly overhead which cast some nice light on his feathers.Equipment
I used to my Nikon D750 with a 28-300mm Nikkor zoom lens with a polarizing filter to take this photo. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I love bird photography and was pretty excited to find this hawk perched on a nearby fence post where he allowed numerous photos to be taken before flying off to soar along the bluffs while taking advantage of the thermals.Editing
Because the sun was so bright, I did some post-processing in Lightroom to adjust for exposure and overall tonality. I then did some layering in Photoshop with the background textures and birds to create this composite.In my camera bag
My current camera of choice is a Nikon D750 full frame. I usually use my Nikkor 28-300mm zoom lens, which I find very versatile especially while traveling. I also have a macro lens, a Nikkor 24-120mm lens, and a Nikkor 150-600mm zoom lens. I always have 2 64gb memory cards in my camera with a spare 32gb card in my bag. In addition, I always carry the following: a fully charged spare battery and battery charger, UV and polarizing filters for all lenses, a Tiffen variable ND filter, the Cokin filter system, a lightweight carbon fiber tripod with a remote release, and cleaning supplies.Feedback
Patience and some stealthy skills are usually required when attempting to photograph birds, especially raptors. But most of the time, capturing a great photo of any bird requires knowledge of your camera so you can quickly change settings as the situation dictates....and just plain luck!
