Keeping a hawk eye on the neighbourhood
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Swift Current, Sk - 2014 February 21)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Swift Current, Sk - 2014 February 21)
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Jan, 2018Views
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People's Choice in Wintering Birds on Snow Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this image while standing just outside my back door, looking across the fence into the next door neighbour's evergreen tree (in Swift Current, Saskatchewan Canada).Time
I captured this image at 2:38PM CST (2014 February 21).Lighting
It was overcast with icy fog and light snow (we had fog throughout the previous evening and throughout the day of 2014 February 21.)Equipment
I shot this photo hand-held with a Nikon COOLPIX S10 V1.0 point-and-shoot camera. The camera was set for automatic. The settings the camera automatically used for this photo were f/5.9 1/500 sec ISO 110 Automatic White Balance, Exposure 0 step, focal length 180mm (35mm film equivalent 1000 mm), Pattern Metering.Inspiration
I am a birder so I enjoy watching Nature on the Wing and try to capture it whenever an opportunity presents itself. This Sharp-shinned Hawk was sitting in the next door neighbour's frost and snow-covered evergreen tree -- one of the best opportunities I have had to shoot a hawk. I didn't even take the time to put on a winter coat - so I had to shoot fast and as many shots as I could before it either flew off or I got too cold. (I shot over 60 photos in a short amount of time.... and if I remember right, I got too cold to keep on shooting. LOL.)Editing
This photo was shot in JPEG. I used ACDSee Pro 6 to to make adjustments to the exposure and contrast (to brighten it), and to crop the photo. The original photo was a landscape orientation. I cropped it to a portrait orientation.In my camera bag
I have my Nikon D750, D200 and D5100 cameras in my bags along with my Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, a Tamron SP 24-70MM F/2.8 Di VC USD, a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm F/1.8G Lens, a Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD Lens, Nikon f/2.8 105mm Micro f/2.8 lens, and a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens. I also always have my Samsung S8+ SM-G955W cellular phone with me (I like to use it when I want or need a wider angle photo.) If I am going to go for a drive to spend some time out and about shooting, I like to take all my cameras and lenses... you just never know what you're going to need. If I am going out to shoot something specific, I take my Nikon D750 along with the 70-200mm lens, 24-70mm lens, 50mm lens, and depending what my shooting goal is, sometimes the 105mm lensFeedback
My advice for others is to shoot as often as you can. If you are at home, keep your camera(s) easily accessible (and keep the batteries charged up.) You never know when an opportunity to shoot will arise. I was thankful I had a camera handy the afternoon I captured this Sharp-shinned Hawk. If you are shooting wildlife of any kind, before you lift the camera to shoot, ensure you are giving the animal the respect it deserves. Keep your distance and use a long lens, and do not stay longer than a few minutes. Learn the habits of the animals you are shooting.... that way you can anticipate their moves to get a better shot and to recognize the animal's reaction to your presence. Take advantage of the lighting - when it is sunny or when it is cloudy or if rain or any other weather system is moving in, and play with your f stops. Always take more than one photo ... you can always delete it if it doesn't turn out. When you download your photos, don't discard the photo right away because the colour isn't what you had wanted it to be. Try adjusting the lighting, exposure, etc, and also convert it to sepia or black and white... sometimes that is the only adjustment you need to make to the photo in post-processing. Also, try cropping the image -- in this photo, I shot it in landscape orientation, but cropped it to portrait orientation (I preferred the portrait orientation on this photo... and cropping it also put more emphasis on the bird.) The most important advice of all... always have fun!!!!
