Hunting for Eagles

[terrib]

A friend told us of an Eagle's nest near us so we ventured out to see if we could find it. We did find what we think might be a nest but no eagle. Now that we know where it is we'll verify ownership of the land and see if we can get closer and study some on their habits so we are prepared when we can get back out.

I did get a few other pictures which I'll share. I normally crop closer for wildlife shots, but in this case decided to include more of the environment. For the Heron, I really like the layers of color between the water and the two different types of grasses and think it adds some interest. I was a little more conflicted with the first Hawk about how much to leave in. Ultimately, I decided the wide angle gave a sense of the prairie in which he hunts and this is what I wanted to convey. The second Hawk is a tight crop as there was nothing but tree branches and sky which added nothing.

I've still not gotten the really sharp images that a few others have posted here but I'm improving. These were all handheld out the car window. One last note - I'm in a 30 day trial using Lightroom so I'm just learning how to do post with it instead of Aperture. Very different...

Comments, Criticism and Edits are always welcome!

#1 Maybe an Eagle's nest. Could be a Hawk but our friend says he saw an Eagle in it.



#2 Great Blue Heron



#3 Great Blue Heron



#4 Hawk



#5 Hawk

[Tony M]

Hi Terri,

I especially like the photos of the Heron; as you say, the different colours of the grasses and water make it interesting. They are fairly unsaturated - is that how they appeared to you; did they come off the camera like that? Or is it the result of processing in LR?

In image #4, I'd be tempted to crop a little of the water, but it's just a minor point.

Tony

[terrib]

Thanks Tony for your comments. I did add some vibrancy but only added saturation to the blues. Going back to Lightroom, I agree with you that I could have added some saturation to the entire image.

On the crop of the second Heron, my original crop of this image had the curve in the mud almost to the corner but it took out all the blue in the water so I changed it to get that extra bit of color and show that there were actually reflections in the water. I'm on the fence but think either way works.

The Herons are also my favorites.

[Tony M]

On the crop of the second Heron, my original crop of this image had the curve in the mud almost to the corner but it took out all the blue in the water so I changed it to get that extra bit of color and show that there were actually reflections in the water. I'm on the fence but think either way works.

I see your point; I missed that. Yes, the reflections in the water are nice. I actually like the unsaturated look; it's not something I do often.

Tony

[jamn4ex]

I prefer more saturation. If I shoot Ianthe bright sun I almost always boost the saturation a little. I wear polarized sun glasses so I am not used to the washed out look. By the way my 30 day trial just ran out on light room 3 I definitely plan onbuying lightroom 4 in near future.
I wish you best of luck inyour Eagle hunts I am having a hard time here.

[Jack R Mann]

Terri keep watching for calving season the eagles will appear. Nice series and you will never find them at home, keep up the good work.

[terrib]

thanks for the comments, James. I'm probably going to buy Lightroom 4 because it does seem to have more capability in most areas than Aperture but it is almost like starting over. Aperture does a lot automatically in it's RAW processing (which you do have the option to change or create new presets) and so it starts out with more saturation. I many times would decrease saturation after bringing it into Aperture. But Lightroom starts out with a lower amount of processing so I need to get the feel of it and create some standard presets of my own.

[terrib]

Thanks, Jack. Calving season has started around here so I'll keep an eye out. We've only seen an eagle on our property once in 20 years but nests are reported within an hour of us. They actually have an eagle festival in mid February at a lake about 50 miles from us but we were out of town during that time. I guess I need to get in touch with the local birding groups to get more information.