Lil Judd
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 p.1 #19 · Cooper's Hawk & prey/kill at 45% crop | |
alameda wrote:
Lil,
Thanks for posting the additional shots -- you captured the sequence well.
Thank you - most kind. More at my Zenfolio site should you wish to see what I got in total.
I hope you are not serious with your opinion about the FM Forum.
Well..... can't say I feel all that welcome yet - - guess it comes down to earning my way. Better here than in the other forum I've visited.....
I think your shots showcased an experience that most of us would have liked to share. When you see something like the Cooper's on prey and are lucky enough to have your equipment -- hey, it is great to get even one shot -- you got many! Next time you might be lucky enough to be set up better, have the needed lens and you will get better shots.
To me it was something special - I've not ever had this experience. I see them flying way above me. I see them sitting in trees - yet always when I have nothing to shoot them with. I'm almost always on a horse riding when that happens.....
We all can't have the 500mm+ glass and the latest new bodies - I sure as hell don't have them and most who post on FM don't either. I have shots that I am extremely proud of that would be considered crap by many on this forum but I have posted some of them in the past because I liked them and wanted to share.
You have the right attitude, that's for sure. Thanks for words of encouragement. 
Your shots were not the best but they were shots that I for one was happy to see because they did what photography is about in my opinion -- they captured an event, a moment -- something that was important to you and you were able to share that event. Photography documents life and that is what you did. Thanks!
Thank you so very much
I have been given great feedback by a lot of FM members and encouragement about my attempts. That encouragement has been great and it has been greatly appreciated when I become too critical or not critical enough about what I am doing. I have had advice given that I hope helps me improve - I sure need to!
It's all about growing & refusing to stagnate - - but it's also about enjoyment
Hang in there -- keep posting and I am sure you will find that most of the folks on FM are wonderful folks that photograph because they love doing so and they will share their experiences and knowledge freely. I hope what I have written doesn't offend you, it was not my intent. Looking forward to your next post!
Your post does not offend me - how could it?! You're being supportive & encouraging. I can't thank you enough.
The additional shots posted have great color and detail. I think you did what you could with the eyes - I don't know what you could have done unless you cloned in the yellow - orange eyes. Steve W
Steve W
Thanks Steve, this one has orange eyes & cloning might work..... but may end up looking even more fake.
Some additional information....
I set out to shot with a small DOF & set the f/stop to f/4 - - that's wide open. I wanted & intended to ensure the BG to be OOF - - I knew I was dealing with ugly (driveway) & busy (tree) BGs & needed to do what I could to get some kind of acceptable bokeh - - this was all I could think of doing.
Lighting was a pain due to the shadows of the tree & driveway covered by a huge oak tree. Flash was not my preference, nor was 1/250s as I was on a 300mm & really wanted a faster shutter speed to ensure less shake - - this is shot hand held after all. I did get some & would have liked less...
Angles was a pain. Driveway I had to consider coming from the right, but that could have startled the bird & driveway was the least noisy. So I preferred the straight on approach. In the tree, I approached as I went along & shot as I walked around trying for best angle. The bird allowed me what it did - - I shot as I went. I had no way of knowing how long she was going to tolerate me.
Also, the bird was high above me in the tree. Luckily my neighbor's driveway is on a slope so I got up higher as best as I could. I got fairly close - - probably because this bird is somewhat used to people with horses etc. People ride their horses all over here, so the bird has to be used to seeing people at least a little.
I tried to work with her in regards to my approach. I would move when she looked away etc. Nothing startling etc. Tried to not make any sudden movements, stuff like that.
Thanks again for encouragement & support.
Lil
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