Ultimate

PeriHoke_CoyoteQuest

Golden Eagle

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

settings

Aperture f/2.8 ISO 400 Shutter 1/50 Focal Length 200/1

upload_date

May, 2016

Views

1471

Likes

+138

Awards

Contest Finalist in Just Eagles Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Powerful Photo Contest

Peer Award

+34

Superb Composition

Top Choice

$kazimierzfrackowski$

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

All Star

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at the California Raptor Center in Davis, CA. Twice a year they hold an open house and bring their raptor Ambassadors out for the public to see. These birds are ones that can no longer survive in the wild for various reasons (often times due to life altering injuries) so they end up living here and help educate people. It's a wonderful way to spend the morning and a great way to practice photographing wildlife. I really feel it's helped me with the wildlife photography out in the wild..

Time

This was taken on a Saturday morning and a light rain was drizzling.

Lighting

The lighting is all natural as use of flash isn't allowed around the birds. It was wet and overcast so the harsh shadows were diminished but it also meant shooting with less light. The trick is getting into a position to get what light there was on the bird and hope the bird cooperated and looked your way! This golden eagle cooperates well and I always look forward to photographing him.

Equipment

For this shot I was using my Canon 5D mark ii with the Canon EF70-200 f/2.8L USM lens. It's the older lens without stabilization. Combine that with no flash allowed and I didn't have a tripod with me, it all came down to how steady I could hold things. Again, in this environment, it's been really good practice for when I get out in the wild and can't haul a lot of equipment with me.

Inspiration

Inspiration for this photo and others like it comes from a love I have for the raptors and wanting to capture their images and personalities. I feel they are truly magnificent creatures and being able to get close to them and capture images like this is amazing and I want to share that experience with others.

Editing

Due to the shooting conditions for this photo I did have to do some post processing as I ended up underexposing a bit to keep my settings around where I liked them for depth and such.. I did have to lighten it up overall a little bit and lighten the shadows a bit more. I also increased the contrast some and in the end lowered the highlights a bit.

In my camera bag

In my everyday bag I carry a Canon 7D mark ii and a sigma 18-300 lens. This goes with me on my daily commute so my chances of missing that special shot is minimized. I keep it minimal for the grab and go mode. For my serious photo trips my bigger bag will have my Canon 5D mark ii and/or the 7D mark ii depending on what my primary photography goal for the. moment is. It also nearly always has the Canon 24-105 and the Canon 100-400 mii. My Canon 180mm macro can often be found in the bag as well. These 3 lenses are my main lenses though occasionally one may get swapped out for another. There's generally a flash for those just in case moments. Extra batteries and memory cards are a MUST and quite often snacks and water. Being hungry and/or dehydrated is not good for me or the photo results, especially when the majority of your photography is hand held.

Feedback

I think my best advise is to never stop learning and don't be afraid to experiment. Sometimes those shots you think are going to be terrible can end up being your favorites. Also, look for opportunities where you can practice like I do with the Raptor Center. The somewhat controlled environment gives you time to practice and play with settings without worrying about if your subject is going to fly away any moment. As you learn the settings that you like best and get use to being around the animals (or other subject) then you'll be able to acquire your shot quicker when out in the wild and there is no control of the subject.

See more amazing photos, follow PeriHoke_CoyoteQuest

PeriHoke_CoyoteQuest

PeriHoke_CoyoteQuest

Golden Eagle

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow PeriHoke_CoyoteQuest

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.