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Thoughts about the nature of, well nature.
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Image Description
I happened upon one of the resident Bald Eagles breakfasting on a Cinnamon Teal. I was surprised that he had gotten such a relatively large duck. Anyway, this is one of the least gruesome shots. I like the eye stare and the feathers floating down.
Technical Details
Nikon Z 8, z 800 PF, 1/640 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 1000
Processed in DXO Photolab and Capture One.
Specific Feedback
Any thoughts about your initial reaction to the shot.
Critique Template
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David - Excellent catch! Mezmerizing stare, perfect detail, and the feathers floating down from the prey are amazing!
You might consider toning down/removing the light area at the top and right…
Fantastic image!
Splendid catch David. Love the head on stare and those falling feathers. What a moment in nature…I rarely see a bald eagle with a smaller bird as prey even though I know it happens rather often. All looks good to me in this image.
Intensity. Purpose. Form follows function. How emotionless it seems in the sense that the bird feels no pity or remorse, just doing what it does and only humans feel a pang.
Now going to read your info.
Ah duck. Who doesn’t love duck? A nearby smokehouse (Neuske’s famous for its bacon) does duck breast and it’s heavenly. Luckily feathers aren’t part of the packaging, but I like them in this quite a bit. It’s sort of like a dénouement to what must have been some furious action. The image isn’t exactly serene now, but more like the universe had to take a breath after this struggle and death. Great - simply a fantastic image.
This is so cool, David. I love the feathers floating to the ground and you caught a great head turn. I can see what you were about in the repost, though those background bits didn’t really bother me in the original.
Oh, what a stare he is giving you, David. Really something. I think of the phrase “if looks could kill”. The remains of his prey, the feathers falling down, tells the story.
What a great image and I appreciate the fact that you chose the least gruesome of your images to share. So often I think photographers feel the need to include the gory details to tell a story, but here, with the last feathers dropping lifelessly from the perch, I think you have managed to do that without all the gore.
I do think you did a good job of minimizing the background with your revisions. I can’t say that they bother in the original image, but seeing the two side by side has me thinking that the second version is a bit stronger. Nice work overall. What a moment to capture.
@TonyBaldasaro thank you for the kind comments. I appreciate them very much. I too dislike gory pictures…I know it’s just nature, but still…I’m glad you liked this one without the gore.
David - the re-post looks great! Nothing is “gory” in the original image - just nature in a perfect image. To me, the bit of red adds interest and reality.
