Peregrine Falcon prepares to take off
Came across this beautiful bird in a spot I've been to hundreds of times over the years. I've never seen a falcon there before and haven't. I s...
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Came across this beautiful bird in a spot I've been to hundreds of times over the years. I've never seen a falcon there before and haven't. I saw it land in front of me and was so stunned that it was a falcon that it took me a moment to mobilize and get some shots.
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Mar, 2018Views
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Superb Composition
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Top 10 rankSame photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Grand Mesa, ColoradoTime
Late afternoon, early evening.Lighting
I got lucky with the back lighting. It created a nice effect.Equipment
Hand held, Nikon D810 and I think Tamron 150-600 lens.Inspiration
I remember this particular set of photos like it was yesterday, it was July 2016. This shot was pure luck in more ways than one. I live in Colorado and I was taking my parents for a drive to one of our favorite spots up on top of Grand Mesa. We stopped at the historic scenic overlook, and as I do anytime, I stop and get out of the car I grabbed my camera. As we started walking towards the rock wall, I stopped frozen in place. For a moment I just stood there, I could not believe my eyes as I was trying to make sense of what I was seeing. There sat a Peregrine Falcon about 20 feet from the wall, staring back at us from the branch of a dead tree. The tree was down slope and the top was level with the rock wall. I whispered to my mom and dad to stop and I quickly threw up my camera and started shooting, knowing it would probably fly at any moment. I was so excited I forgot to check my camera settings first. I just stared shooting. Fortunately, I was able to capture a series of shots and although it is a little under exposed it created and interesting lighting effect. What makes this picture so special to me is my parents were there to share the moment and they had never seen a peregrine in the wild. In all the years we have been going to this spot I have NEVER seen a Peregrine Falcon and I have not seen one since. I went back several times over the next few days and weeks. I spent hours watching birds soaring in the distance through binoculars. I even walked along the cliff edge searching for a scrape (nest site) and never found a single bird. I visit this spot multiple times a year and have been since I was a child. Ravens and Red-tailed hawks as well as other small hawks frequently soar along the cliffs edge, but to my knowledge no falcons. If they are around, they stay clear of this highly visited site. I was fortunate to capture usable photographs as I am not a professional photographer. I took pictures for the fun of it and was learning new ways to shoot my camera. Those are the reasons this photo and the others in the series are so special to me.Editing
I was new to Adobe photoshop and was learning the software. I believe I cropped and sharpened it it. May have done more but do not remember.In my camera bag
Now days I consider myself and armature photographer hoping to reach professional level. I have slowly and consistently up graded my gear as I can. I now have a Nikon D850 with a grip and battery pack, D810 and D500. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II Lens, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR, Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Lens, and a Tamron 150-600. I also carry a Nikon 1.4x teleconverter which I rarely use, a Hoodman HoodLoupe Outdoor LCD Viewfinder and a BlackRapid Curve Breathe Camera Strap.Feedback
I spend a lot of time out doors searching and photographing. I take a lot of shots and I always study them looking and thinking about how I could improve the shot. I still think its Right Time, Right Place and Right Light...and a lot of Luck. Keep your gear handy and always be looking.
