The Look--Female Cooper's Hawk

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
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Coopershawk1
Coopershawk1945×1500 509 KB

Description: This is a first year plumage female Cooper’s hawk. She is fairly large and approaches a male goshawk in size. She was perched above the bird feeders waiting for a songbird to make a mistake. Blue jays, starlings, and mourning doves are the right sized prey for her to capture.

Specific Feedback Requested: I chose this image because it shows how dark and cloudy it has been in SE Michigan. The dilated pupils of this hawk and the hungry stare were other points that I considered for posting. I may remove the dark OOF branches on the LH side for artistic value. What do you think?

Pertinent technical details or techniques: D500 200-400mm f4 (380mm, 1/400 sec at f5.6, ISO 1000) DeNoise AI, Levels, Brightness & Contrast, Crop for Comp.

Is this a composite?

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This is a really good capture Jim! I love the intensity of her face. I really like the lighting and details, and how you have her framed by the branches.

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I love the appropriately rugged setting, and the way the tree trunk echoes the shape of her pose. Wonderful sharp detail and perfectly matching BG colors. The only brach I might consider removing is the OOF one that crosses the dark trunk.

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It is a very intense look. Amazing how long the tail is. Good job on the exposure and dof. The hawk really looks good. I think removing the few oof branches on left side of frame would be good but tricky.

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Beautiful detail in the hawk. Good setting. Agree with Diane’s thought about the branch and maybe even the ones to the bird’s left.

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Great pose and stare, Jim. I think a couple of those out of focus branches could go. I find the one coming toward us the most distracting, but probably the hardest to deal with. Are you enjoying zoom capability?

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Thank you for the comments and critiques. Dennis, I love the 200-400 f4 and it is perfect for close in critters. It is deadly for big dragonflies with a teleconverter…Jim

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A good job at threading the needle with all the surrounding tree branches. The branches frame the image.

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