A fellow photographer alerted me to a pair of Bald Eagles nesting in a very accessible place about 30 minutes from my house. I was there this morning, Feb. 5, 2023, about two hours hoping to get some in-flight shots. That never happened, but I got many shots like this.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I like the image overall, but should I crop a bit more of the nest? I left the crop loose so a viewer could get a sense of the enormity of the nest.
Technical Details
Canon R7, Canon RF 100-500mm Telephoto Zoom, f/8, 1/400 sec., ISO 100. Processed in ACR and PSE 2020 for exposure and cropping. Topaz DeNoise. I removed a twig by the eagleās head, and a few from the edges of the frame.
How exciting Terry! I like the scale with the nest. They can get absolutely huge if theyāre used for many years and generations of fledglings. There is only one in my rotation that can be shot from land, the rest only by boat so Iām very anxious to go see it in March when nesting could be in full swing.
The colors here look a tad vivid, but I love the out of frame stare and the framing. The eyes look a trifle soft. Were you using focus peaking? That is a HUGE help with this kind of thing.
Hi Terry, Nice look at a nesting eagle. Showing the size of the nest works well. I guess Krisās vision is sharper than mine, as the eyes look okay to me. Were you using eye auto focus? I thought focus peaking was for manual focusing and it does work well; Iāll have to look into whether itās available in auto focus.
Thanks @Kris_Smith. I understand this pair lost their original nest in an EF-2 tornado that swept through that area seven years ago, so this is ānewā construction! Hope you get some shots of yours in March. I will definitely be going back to this nest.
Iām not sure the R7 has focus peaking available. If it does, I certainly havenāt found it, or know how to use it! A tripod or monopod would certainly have helped, too.
Hey @Allen_Brooks. Thanks for your comments. I was using eye autofocus. But quite honestly, this shot came about an hour into the session, and I could tell I was getting a bit fatigued and I wasnāt as steady. As I told Kris, Iām not at all familiar with focus peaking, but I havenāt found any info that indicates the R7 is thusly equipped. In any case, I donāt know how to use it or access it, if it is.
I canāt imagine that it doesnāt. Check w/the manual and see. Hereās what Iāve done on the G9 - set so that I can manually adjust the focus even with AF engaged. With focus peaking, the crisp areas are outlined in a vivid color so you can see easily. If the eyes arenāt highlighted, I adjust with the focus ring. On the G9 it has to be in AFS because Iād be constantly fighting the motor if it was in AFC. Does that make sense? I use it with Animal/Bird detection and it works great.
Yeah, I think I understand, Kris. Perhaps thatās why I havenāt seen it. I have had the camera exclusively in AFC, which I assume means Auto Focus Continuous (?) and which Canon calls AI Servo. Iāll probably need to switch it to āOne Shotā. Iāll try that tomorrow.
Hi Terry, I also need to check up about focus peaking with auto focus, but if you use āOne Shotā, I donāt believe the eye autofocus will work and for sure you wonāt have tracking capabilities. I have also learned that in AI servo, you need to keep whatever back button one is using pressed down when taking the shots. Lot to learn about these cameras and Iāve yet to even get into the video capabilities.
Hey, Allen. Yeah, I think Iām barely scratching the surface of what this camera and lens can do and, like you, I havenāt even tried to shoot any video. I knew the tracking wouldnāt work in One Shot, but I wasnāt sure about the eye autofocus. But if youāre shooting a stationary subject, does that matter? I donāt know. I might just give it a try on some common birds that are around here all the time and see what it does. That way, if I screw it all up, it doesnāt matter much.
BTW, I did set the Control Ring on the lens to be able to adjust the exposure compensation and it worked like a champ. Thanks
Hi Terry, From what I found in David Buschās book, focus peaking only works in manual focus. My experience has been, if the eye detect finds the eye, I end up with a sharp image (at least of the eye).
In my experience, Focus Peaking only works in manual focus. However I have discovered on my Fujifilm cameras, if I set to manual focus, I can still get a single shot focus by pressing the focus on back button. And focus peaking will tell me where the camera focused. Kinda the best of both worlds really. Not sure if the Canon gear does that though.
Regarding the image, itās excellent and I wouldnāt change a thing. I canāt see the softness in the eye, so overall, it works quite well.
