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Golden Eagle Pair
Pair of Golden Eagles with watchful eyes
Pair of Golden Eagles with watchful eyes
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Jan, 2014Views
1396
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Just Eagles Photo Contest
Featured
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Exceptional Contrast
Genius
Jaw Dropping
Superior Skill
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Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken at a very cool place called Northwest Trek in Washington state just northwest of Mount Rainier. The place is set up to make it as wild as possible so much more open and natural than your typical Zoo. This was what I considered a very lucky shot at the time of two Golden Eagle's who were perched on a tree with their watchful eyes gazing out over the landscape. Seeing them together like that was a very majestic moment and was very glad I had my 100-400mm lens on the camera at the time.Time
This shot was taken in mid day. There were lots of overhanging trees in the area so it allowed the light to come in onto the Eagles but keep the background darker.Lighting
This was not a set up shot and no flash was used so the light I had was just from the sun coming through the trees. I often find this is the most natural way to photograph outdoors. I did have to increase my ISO setting as there were a lot of shadows in the area and I wanted to have a fast enough shutter to keep the image of the Eagles sharp as possible.Equipment
This shot was taken with a Canon 6D with a Canon 100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS USM lens. It was hand held with ISO at 6400, F-Stop of 5.6 and 1/320 second shutter. I always have the UV filter on the lens.Inspiration
I love the outdoors and this Northwest Trek park, where the photo was taken, is an exceptional place to capture animals and birds at close range. I came upon these birds while they just happened to be together. Their quiet moment together while still maintaining that watchful eye is what I found compelling. While I did not set out that day to capture this shot, it is always important to be ready when such an image comes into your view. Luck is important sometimes in photography but you can increase your changes by having the right equipment at hand.Editing
I use Adobe Lightroom to help bring out more light in the image and crop in a bit to set the subject matter in the right spot to enhance the emotional power of the shot.In my camera bag
At the time I had two cameras that I carried. The Canon 6D (which this shot was taken with) and the Canon 7D. The 6D is great as it works well in low light. The 7D is just a faster camera so getting the right shot with something moving is typically going to increase your changes with a faster camera. I now have a Canon 5DIII and a Canon 7DII. At any outdoor park or just hiking in the forest, I take my Canon 100-400 lens or my Tamron 70-200. I also always have a wide angle lens with me and sometimes take a macro 50mm. I also typically like to shoot with a tripod but not when walking around and knowing I will have to be fast and spontaneous. So I will sometimes take the Canon 24-105 which is a great walk around lens. With the Eagle shot- I was hand holding with the 100-400mm lens. Having a neutral density filter is also always in my bag for cutting out the harsher light and allowing me to slow the shutter a bit if needed. Lots of lens cleaning cloths to keep the dust off the lens.Feedback
Be ready for anything. By keeping two cameras in my bag with a telephoto lens on one camera (typically the cropped Canon 7D to allow an even greater zoom distance) and a wide angle lens on the other (typically the full frame camera to allow the greater area of coverage for landscapes) allows me to be ready for most things that come into view. This set up for me increases my speed and changes of capturing that perfect moment like this one. This also tends to make my bag heavy or, if I am carrying them on a double strap so they are both at my side, I look like the paparazzi and my family and friends think I am a little nuts. But then again- sometimes that is what it takes to capture two beautiful Eagles at that perfect moment.
