Bald Eagle
Nov, 2018Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Cocoa, Florida on August, 15, 2018. It was a hot and muggy day, and I was riding around an area with a lot of tall long leaf Pine Trees that Eagles prefer to nest in. As I was checking a small pond area where various birds frequently cool off and get a drink on hot days , I saw this Eagle in the mix . I pulled to the shoulder of the road and grabbed my camera off the passenger's side seat. I rolled down my truck's window, made a couple fast guess adjustments to my camera settings, and just as I locked single point focus on the Eagle , it took to the air and was heading straight towards me ! I had started with my Nikkor 200-500 lens at 500mm - but was losing focus lock and quickly rolled back on my zoom range to get the whole Eagle in the viewfinder. I was shooting at ten frames per second, and although many frames would be throw aways , this frame locked on nicely at 350 mm !Time
I had been out very early this day looking for Raptors to shoot during the golden morning light hours. This day was not productive for me early, but I continued looking for my favorite of the Raptor family - and found it - this Bald Eagle - at 10:40 am - not the best lighting at all !Lighting
I find that it is a constant and on going challenge to be able to quickly guess and change camera settings in always changing outdoor lighting conditions. I most often use my Nikkor 200-500 mm lens at it's constant F 5.6 , but on very bright days with any white featherd birds, I switch to a smaller F stop and dial in a minus .7 exposure compensation.Equipment
I only have one camera body - a Nikon D 500. My D 500 has my Nikkor 200-500mm mounted on it for likely 95% of all photos of all sorts. Although I have two other lenses, a tripod and mono pod , I rarely use them. Nearly all my photos are shot from sitting in my truck , out the drivers side window. I use what I call - an Elbow Pod method ! I put my elbow on the truck window arm rest to help steady the camera and lens hold out the window. Many birds are alike Eagles, in that the truck used as a sort of blind, is less concerning to them than a human walking freely in plain view of them.Inspiration
My inspiration for this photo comes from my love of our American symbol of freedom in the Bald Eagle.Editing
I have my D 500 set up to shoot RAW NEF large files. I use Adobe Lightroom to develop my photos. In this photo frame , as nearly any and all photos I take, I usually tweek various slide bars in the program and do some cropping to make it look as close to what I saw as I shot the photo.In my camera bag
My camera bag always has the D 500 in it with the Nikkor 200-500 mounted to it. I have a Tamaron 70-200 G2 lens for closer subjects and a Nikon 17-55 mm lens for even more close or wide subjects. I always have a fresh spare battery and items to clean lenses if need be.Feedback
If anybody wanted to get into Wild Life photography on a somewhat lower budget than the high end professional gear - a D 500 and Nikkor 200-500 lens is about the best bang for your buck ! Shooting at 10 frames per second, with the crop sensor factor giving you about 700 mm , it is a bit of a best birding camera set up you can get. Once you have a nice gear set up like this - it comes down to you getting out in the field as much as possible - and eventually - you will be in the right place at the right time to capture great images !
