White-tailed Kite with a nice, warm breakfast

Description:

Several years ago these guys were nesting in an accessible location and I managed to visit often enough to get some decent shots, although with old equipment by today’s standards. I’m still under house arrest following foot surgery and reworking some older images with better software and judgment. This one is from 2012.

Specific Feedback Requested:

All comments welcome!

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

Canon 5D3, Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS + 2X, f/13 (I have no idea why!), 1/2000 sec, ISO 1600. Reworked with the TK linear profile. Soft light from morning fog just burning off. Topaz DeNoise, extremely minor cloning of some dirty spots on the bird.

Is this a composite? (focus stacks or exposure blends are not considered composites)
No

If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.

Very nice catch Diane! The prey is a big bonus in the image as well as the stalk of grass. I like the realistic sky too. Nice exposure on the bird. Well done.

Beautiful image, Diane. I don’t know why the f/13 either, but if you have a plain sky background and enough light, why not? It provided excellent depth of field and kept everything nice and sharp.

It cost me in noise because of the ISO, but a rework with the linear profile and Topaz DeNoise worked wonders. Forgot to say, it’s been cropped to about 40% of the original frame.

It’s beautiful, Diane. I like the soft lighting on its belly…early morning or evening? What would you normally use for f-stop? Closer to f/8? Like Dennis said, f/13 gives you a lot of depth of field to keep the bird, front to back, in focus. The details here are really nice.

Thanks @Mark_Muller – it was morning light just as marine layer fog was burning off – my favorite light! Wide open would have been f/5.6 which probably would have been plenty of DOF for a bird at this distance. That lens + TC combination was so sharp I doubt stopping down to even f/8 would have been an improvement. Even if so, I’d probably be better off to trade any slight softness for a lower ISO and/or more SS.

1 Like

I’m glad you pulled this one out of the archives - amazing what some new(er) tech can do for a borderline case. It’s perfectly crisp and the prey item is a thing you don’t see often. Super job! Lucky f/13!

Great light, and that long stem of grass suggests the sudden unexpected swoop of the bird on its prey.Heal well, @Diane_Miller !