Disappointment! Heartbroken for not having the right equipment. LOOK at what I missed

[Derrel]

I dunno...the bird's in focus...looking fierce...coulda, woulda, shoulda...

 

[LightSpeed]

I dunno...the bird's in focus...looking fierce...coulda, woulda, shoulda...

Here again, I don't know what to say.
You're the other guy on this forum whose technical expertise leaves quite a few in envy. Including myself.

Respect.

Always did like you. In an internet acquaintance kinda way.
You're another one I could learn a thing or three from.
And that is why I am here.

Say Derrel?
Can you believe this was shot with a Pentax and a Tamron?

 

[e.rose]

What the **** are you moaning about? That's a great capture; you've got the bird in motion, perfect attitude, good composition... Sure 20K worth of gear (actually, more like 25 when you add taxes, gimbal mount, heavy tripod.... ) might have made it a little bit better, but I damn sure wouldn't complain about that.

My thoughts exactly, haha!

If I ever manage to capture anything like that in my life, it'll be a damned miracle!

I think you did a nice job with what you had.

 

[Derrel]

Yeah, sure, Pentax and a Tamron. Sure. Tamron is a pretty good lensmaker actually. I think the photo you were able to MAKE was pretty good. Perhaps it was not the photo you had dreamed about, or envisioned, but to me lamenting what you got doesn't make a lot of sense...it's a good photo...maybe not "great", but the bird would have to cooperate, and you never know what's gonna happen. A good friend of mine spent 20 years or so, chasing birds with a Canon film SLR for 12 years, then eight years with a Canon d-slr on the back of a Canon 500mm f/4.5 L series lens. He spent days and days and weeks and months chasing birds. A lot of the successes he said were from knowing WHERE to find the birds, and how to position the camera spot in relation to the light, and then "being lucky".

I have seen some fine bird shots done with some pretty old equipment, from the 60's and 70's, as well as some high-end stuff from people with $80,000 equipment budgets. The one thing I have noticed MOST is that the best photos come from places where the birds are numerous, and not too awfully scared of people; Ronnie's shots done in Louisiana bayou country with nothing more than a Nikkor 300mm f/4 and a boat are amazing--but then in one hour he will encounter more birds in the bayou than a guy might in one week in other places.

 

[Infinite_Day]

He is right about hawks or raptors in general being hard to shoot. I've been after good raptor shots for a long while. I have a lowly 300 f/4 + 1.4TC on a crop and have a hard time with them. You can't stalk them - you wait them out. I have one shot of an eagle and it sucks. I got within 200 yards and it saw me and spooked. Flew right over my head a few seconds later and I wasn't expecting it to come back toward me so I missed the shot because I wasn't set to shoot a moving bird against the sky (my lack of skill, I know). All that to say that all the equipment in the world can't make up for patience and luck. That's not the best hawk shot in history but I wouldn't feel terrible about it either. You want a real challenge? Try getting a wild American Kestrel. That's at the top of my list right now.

 

[jaomul]

Who cares if its a crop, thats why we have cameras with high mp now, the only good reason for having 12 plus or whatever yours happens to be. Cool shot, if you get that long lens next you will want one that can take a shot from two miles instead of one, that's human nature.

Ps-If you do get that lens make sure you hire someone to carry it for you!

 

[ghache]

Here's one that's also a crop, shot with a 500 mm, handheld. I was standing literally ankle deep in mud, out in the open, as close as I dared get since the eagle had already eyed me a couple of times.

You learn to take what you can get. I asked the eagle to turn the other way and look into the Sun, but I guess eagles aren't into posing.

whats that halo around the bird?