Heavy Load
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Morning walk at Bolsa Chica Preserve in Southern California. This osprey was out hunting and found one that was just too big to handle. It ended up dropping the fish after a valiant effort.
Specific Feedback
I know the second shot has some great action, but it was a ways out and I had to crop to about 30% of the original. The first shot was too close and I actually had to add a bit of new canvas on the top and on the right. I also used a significant minus exposure bias to reduce the brightness.
Technical Details
- Canon 7DMii, f20, 1/2000 sec, iso 640, -1.3 exp bias, 100-400/1.4TC at 560 mm, Tv priority
- f16 otherwise the same.
Nice in flight capture Ed on the first. Good look at the eye. I could see adding bit more space on the left and bottom. Nice exposure.
The second shot shows the effects of the big crop but I still enjoy seeing the bird grappling with the fish. Nice that the eye of the fish and bird are both visible.
I think you could consider settings that use a wider aperture/faster shutter on these action shots - I think you would still have plenty DOF at say f8 and this would allow a faster shutter speed too. 1/2000s is pretty good but you may see a bit of a difference at something like 1/3200s.
Nice shots, Ed. I agree with Allen that your apertures are a bit overkill. I know lots of bird photographers that never shoot at anything but wide open and for shots as far away as Osprey usually are, it works quite well. My rig gives me f/6.3 without the teleconverter and f/9 with it and I rarely stop down further unless I’m trying to get two birds in the frame (or accidentally bump the aperture dial). While the 7Dii is a bit noisier than the modern bodies, I used it for years and it works fine with the modern noise reduction at iso 2000 if you need it.
Thank you @Allen_Sparks. I was using Tv thinking 1/2000s would help with the action. I’ve tried out the faster shutter speed a couple days ago with some success on some smaller shorebirds. I’m still trying to fine tune this rusty old photographer. Thank you @Dennis_Plank for confirming Allen’s thoughts and your background with th 7Dii. With the bright lighting and white surf I had to set my iso down to 200 at f8 and was still getting shutter speeds of 1/4000!+. Of course the only birds I was able to get a flying focus on were pelicans and a curlew.
