With our water levels low this year, I was not sure if we would have many eagles around this winter. I went down to where they normally visit and we did have a few. I am always happy when I can come home with a few decent images of them in flight. They fly so fast I do get a lot of missed shots. I like this on due to it stands out from the wooded background.
Specific Feedback Requested
I am open to any critique of what is good or what I could improve on. It was a overcast day, so no sun or blue sky.
Technical Details
Canon R6, Tamron 150-600 mm, tripod with gimball. f6.3, 1/2000,ISO Auto, 428mm
I like it too!! It stands out so well from the BG, whose colors are subdued and very pleasing. I love the base provided by the warm-colored vegetation. As someone who lives in CA, it’s scary to imagine dry conditions in IA.
Overall, I think you have a nice image. The background does add to the image for me.
My first processing impression is that the image is pretty flat. Looking at a histogram, verified my impression. There are no tones in the very darks, nor in the very light, mostly midtones. A little work on a levels or curves dialog could add just a bit of punch.
Looking at the larger version, there is also a light halo on the front edge of the wing closest to us and on the back edge of the same wing. My guess is that is from a selection of the eagle to add light to the shadowed/darker areas.
I love this shot Terry, the background is a bit ‘flat’ but I think that it adds a natural, honest, grey-day atmosphere (we have many of these days here in the UK). The bird stands out wonderfully and the framing gives a great sense of where you were.
Is the slight halo on the wing from selection as Keith suggests? If so I wonder if we could ask him if he knows any way of either preventing it or dealing with it.
Thank you for your feedback. Yes, it scary Iowa is so dry, it has been really hard on our farmers. We have had a couple good rains lately, so hopefully it will help.
Thank you for your feedback. Yes, I see the halo also, but it is not from editing. I see it in the original also. Any suggestions? Since your comment, I have taken into photoshop and used the blur tool, it halped some.
Here’s a version with a quick correction. I made a good selection in PS of the eagle. Then expanded the selection by 2 pixels. Used that selection as a mask on a blank layer that was used for cloning. The mask makes sure the clones are restricted to the eagle.
I also made a couple of exposure adjustments to deal with the overall flat look.
