Taken at Grouse Mountain, BC
Taken at Grouse Mountain, BC
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Behind The Lens
Location
I photographed this raptor hawk in Vancouver BC at a bird show. The trainer released and I captured the hawk as it dive bombed the audience.Time
After spending the last 10 days on an Alaska cruise, we finished our trip in Vancouver, BC. We visited Grouse Mountain. One of the attractions was a bird show. I took this photo at 2:45 in the afternoon in bright sunlight. which allowed me to shoot at 1/2000 of a sec.Lighting
The bright afternoon sunlight allowed me to shoot at a very high shutter speed, stopping the bird in mid-flight.Equipment
I used my Canon 1DX with a 70x200 with a 2x converter. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
I love taking challenging photographs. Flying birds can be one of the most challenging shots to nail focus and eliminate motion blur. It takes some practice, but when when the end results look like this photo, it is worth it!Editing
I did very little post processing, however, I sharpen all my photos in Lightroom. I did bump up the shadows to expose the details in the eyes and feathers.In my camera bag
Canon 1DX and Canon 7D Mark II, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, EF70-200mm f/2.8L II USM, EF 85mm f/1.2 USM, Lee soft and hard graduated ND filters and a 10 stop "Big Stopper" ND filter, Really Right Stuff 40 Ball head on a Gitzo tripod, two Canon Speedlites 600EX II-RT all in a FStop Tilopa Backpack.Feedback
Using a telephoto lens (70-200) with a 2x converter only compounds the challenge of capturing in flight birds. Back button focus is a must to capture flying birds. I have found that zooming out to find initial focus helps tremendously. Once I have the bird is in focus, I zoom in keeping the focus button depressed. I also use AI focus option, which constantly adjust to the subjects movement. Burst mode shutter option is another must. Chances of capturing a photo like this with a single shutter release would be nearly impossible. This bird was flying at 50 mph. Again, it takes some practice, but when when the end results look like this photo, it is worth it!