some bird pictures from today ....

bc_steve · Mar 19, 2013

I didn't think it was going to be a good day at all today. It was windy when I set out, which meant the Ravens were loving it. The sun came out a bit later and the wind calmed down. That's what the hawks and the eagles are into. I ended up seeing a pretty good variety of birds today

1. We're losing our spot

but I liked it just how it was! by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

2. Red-Tailed Hawk in the Sun

red-tailed hawk by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

3. And here comes an eagle

the eagle is landing by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

4. That snowy mountain on the right is Harper Mountain, a local ski hill

bald eagle in front of harper mountain by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

5. And here's the shot I was going for all day. Almost missed it because I got side-tracked by the eagle.

Raven by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

WesternGuy · Mar 19, 2013

First impressions:

1. I would crop this about the middle of the photo to get rid of the backhoe and other stuff, then I would crop the bottom about 1/3rd to 1/4 of the way up to produce an image with just the raven in the tree.
2. Nice, but a closer crop would be better.
3. I would be tempted to crop a little off both sides and place the landing bird in the right thirds position. I would also open up my image about +1/2 to +2/3 of exposure composition as the bird is a little underexposed.
4. Again, I would crop out the right side of the image, leaving the eagle sitting at about the 1/3rd position on the right. That way the bird is "looking" into the image, which is a much better composition than having all the "dead" space on the right. I would also open up my image about +1/2 to +2/3 of exposure composition as the bird is a little underexposed.
5. Nice action shot and having the moon in it is a bonus, but the bird is underexposed. I would be tempted to open up 1 to 2 stops to get more detail in the bird itself. If you shot this in raw, then you can probably correct this in post.

WesternGuy

bc_steve · Mar 19, 2013

Thanks WesternGuy. I appreciate the criticism. I went back and did a little re-editing and I like them better now. The first one I left the machine in the shot on purpose. It's not the greatest picture, but I just wanted a record of and to show what is happening to one of my favourite dog-walking/bird watching places.

2. Yep, this one looks better with the hawk taking up more of the frame

red-tailed hawk by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

3. The more I look at this one the less I like it. Mostly I just like his pose. Cropped and brightened up a bit though it is definitely improved.

the eagle is landing by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

4. You're right, the right side of the frame had nothing to offer. I didn't chop it all off because I wanted to keep Harper Mountain in the bottom right there. I took a bit off the bottom as well.

bald eagle in front of harper mountain by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

5. I brightened him up a bit, but not too much. I will try this shot again at some point. Ideally what I would like is the subject to be a little higher up so I could go a bit closer in on the moon and have it more in focus.

Raven by Steve Dinicol, on Flickr

Thanks again for the advice.