Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Osprey with Fish
‹ PreviousAvian GalleryNext ›

Osprey with Fish

by Angela McCain

Gallery: AvianPosted April 3, 2011186 views17 comments
Galveston Texas. March, 2011.

D3 ISO 400. 300/2.8 with 2x tc. f5.6 1/2500s -0.3 ev. Cropped to about 20% FF. (I've gotta get a longer lens.) Some electrical lines on the far left side were cropped out.

I got a series of about 25 good images of this Osprey flying toward me (11/sec), but this one had the best eye contact.

Comments

17 comments
Comment posted by Dan Harbour on April 3, 2011 at 8:21 PM
Great action. beautiful pose and the details are very nice despite the crop. Excellent photo. :toast:
Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments
Comment posted by Rick Cloran on April 3, 2011 at 8:39 PM
Well done. The detail looks solid, the pose is nice with the wings up and a slight head turn and the techs look fine.
Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 3, 2011 at 8:40 PM
Very nice shot - too bad the head of the fish has already been partly consumed
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on April 3, 2011 at 9:23 PM
You captured a great wing position, Angela, and the light under the wings is great. The fish is a huge bonus. I do see a bit of detail loss in the larger post, I am guessing from the large crop. Very nice image as posted.
Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments
Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on April 3, 2011 at 9:40 PM
Wonderfully lit feathers and fantastic eye contact Angela, and the headless fish is indeed a bonus :^)

Can't help wondering whether you might have been better off removing or cloning out those electrical lines instead of cropping this image as you have. Not that I know how to do this myself right now, but if this were mine I'd think it worth while learning how to add canvas, so I could build out the LH side of the frame and present this in landscape format.
Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments
Comment posted by Dottie Short on April 3, 2011 at 9:42 PM
Angela,And why do you think you need a longer lens? I need some advantage.:biggrin: This is magnificent! Nice detail and eye contact. Your 300 mm allows you to manipulate the lens easier for a flight show such as this. Excellent! I wish it were mine. Dottie
Registered on April 12, 2010, 61 Posts, 375 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 3, 2011 at 10:51 PM
Great pose, eye contact and fish!
The larger image shows some loss of detail from the large crop, and a distinct halo around the upper half of the bird. I'd suggest backing off a bit on the crop and sharpening, and you'd still have a fine image.
Good catch! (For both of you!)
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on April 4, 2011 at 9:02 AM
I like the comp and the red that this bloody headless fish brings to the frame.
Looks very good despite the heavy crop, great eye contact :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Ingrid Vekemans on April 4, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Excellent shot!
Registered on August 2, 2010, 138 Posts, 780 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on April 4, 2011 at 12:33 PM
Nice detail and overall image quality, and I'd never guess this was such a large crop.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 4, 2011 at 4:53 PM
Great image quality for that crop, Angela. Nice wing position and lighting and excellent eye contact.
:toast:
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Gilham on April 4, 2011 at 7:13 PM
I like how this shows how Osprey carry their fish, the great head turn and wing position. Great looking image Angela for such a large crop, I would have never guessed it to be.
Registered on September 20, 2009, 77 Posts, 489 Comments
Comment posted by Dan Walters on April 4, 2011 at 7:14 PM
Great flight image! Like the fish in the talons.
Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Dudley on April 4, 2011 at 7:53 PM
Angela, Love the wing position, the subtle but effective head turn and the fish of course. IMO the fact that part of the fish has been consumed is not a negative in the least - in fact for me it very well may be a positive. Exposure and sharpness look good and I'm amazed that this is only 20% of FF, esp when looking at the larger version. My only issue is the halo. I don't think the bird is oversharpened and suspect that the halo might be caused by global rather than selective sharpening... Nicely done.
Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments
Comment posted by Angela McCain on April 4, 2011 at 10:27 PM
The D3 takes amazing images and allows a crop that I would have thought impossible. This is nice since I am concerned about my ability to handle a 500mm lens physically and therefore continue to shoot the 300/2.8. A fine lens it is, however.

To All: I do intend to learn how to solve my halo problem this year. It is a constant problem. I know they are there. Thanks to several who have sent me instructions on how to do it.
Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments
Comment posted by Rob Drummond on April 5, 2011 at 3:09 AM
Nice clean image and detail Angela - well done

cheers
Rob
Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments
Comment posted by Karen Summers on April 5, 2011 at 6:07 AM
great image Angela caught well with the fish
Registered on December 3, 2009, 83 Posts, 818 Comments