Sandhill Crane

Gallery: AvianPosted November 26, 2009161 views16 comments

D300, 500mm f/4, handheld
ISO 800, 1/1250 sec, f/8
Cropped to 55% horizontally and 70% vertically.
Photo taken Nov. 11, 2009 about 30 minutes after sunrise at Bosque del Apache NWR.
Selective sharpening and noise reduction using Noise Ninja. Cropping and other minor adjustments using LR2 and CS3.
Last year on my first visit to Bosque, I took a lot of photos of the Sandhill Cranes in flight against a clear sky. This year, my goal was to catch them in flight with the mountains or the colorful terrain around the crane pools in the background. Also, I wanted more shots of the action during take-off and landing. Shooting conditions were tougher this year because of total or partially overcast skies. I was forced to go to ISO 800 to get a shutter speed of 1/1250; there is still motion blur in the wing tips and the ISO 800 loss of crispness is noticeable.
Comments and suggestions most welcome.

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 26, 2009 at 11:45 AM

Beautiful SHC with the mountains in the back - you really nailed this one. Can't wait to see other photos from your trip to the infamous Bosque

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Sally King on November 26, 2009 at 11:52 AM

I think your details look pretty great for any ISO let alone 800. Love the pose and the environment behind him. I love the way the feet/legs are crossed.

Registered on December 2, 2008, 416 Posts, 4450 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on November 26, 2009 at 12:00 PM

FANTASTIC David, I love the captured detail as best appreciated in your larver version. The crane really stands out against the complimentary blurred BG Well Done!

Registered on March 30, 2008, 416 Posts, 2885 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on November 26, 2009 at 12:45 PM

Very fine capture, David. I really like the detail in the whites on this one and I don't see the loss of crispness you mention. Also, the noise level looks fine. Perhaps it's because I've been doing a lot of high iso work. However, I bet that this image would be widely considered very high quality. The only thing that looks a bit strange to me are the blue mountains. Perhaps more sharpness there would make them look more like mountains. When I first glanced at this image I thought they were waves.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on November 26, 2009 at 1:38 PM

Hi David. The details are fine enough to look like an etching and the slight wing tip blur adds a sense of motion. I really like it. Did you just get the 500?

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Mason on November 26, 2009 at 3:05 PM

I really like this composition - the blue hills are fine by me. Lovely image.

Registered on December 14, 2005, 399 Posts, 2305 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on November 26, 2009 at 3:33 PM

Wayne asked when I got the 500mm lens. Answer: in mid July. It's a great lens, but I'm still learning how to use it in different situations.
Steve said he doesn't see the loss of crispness. I see it when I compare this image to one taken with ISO 200.
Thanks for the comments.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 26, 2009 at 8:09 PM

You had good goals and I think you met them. I like how nicely this crane is suspended from the background. The blurred wingtips are not a problem, IMO. Nice catch.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on November 26, 2009 at 8:12 PM

IMO, this is an outstanding sandhill image Dave. It's interesting sometimes just how much difference an inch or so can make - in this case, if the background of the bird's head had been sky instead of the much darker mtns I think the impact of the image would have been much reduced. I certainly don't notice the loss of crispness you mention and the motion blur in the wingtips works just fine for me. Very well done.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on November 26, 2009 at 9:09 PM

David,

So glad to see you back and posting shots from Bosque.

This is a gorgeous image and I would not change a thing about it, I love the mountains & sky in the background, the great flight pose and the wonderful light.

BTW, I am looking to capture some Juncos soon myself

A very fine image as presented.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on November 26, 2009 at 10:39 PM

Really nice angle and I like the mountains in the bg. I can only notice the loss of crispness in the wing feathers.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Carrie O'Brien-Sib on November 27, 2009 at 9:28 AM

SIMPLY SPECTACULAR!

Registered on August 4, 2009, 149 Posts, 889 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on November 27, 2009 at 10:22 AM

Excellent, David. Wonderful detail and flight pose.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on November 27, 2009 at 5:14 PM

I go along with Ron D's comments on this one. The head position again the BG is perfect. A very attractive sandhill image.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on November 27, 2009 at 6:30 PM

Good one, Dave. I had much more difficulty than you, but as you know I was foolishly tethered to a tripod. Show us more!

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on November 27, 2009 at 7:30 PM

Lovely shot david - the background gives it a real perspective. I don't know about the loss of crispness - the head looks beautifully sharp to me.

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments