Goshawk

Gallery: AvianPosted July 23, 2011138 views8 comments

On one of the days we spent in a national park in South Africa it rained the whole day. Our spirits were down due to the bad light, but when we saw this Dark Chanting Goshawk first take a bath in a puddle on the road and then fly into a small bush, we were excited to get the shots. The bird looks annoyed at the being wet. I like the look in its eye and the rain drops all around.

Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Shooting Date/Time 07/13/11 08:44:58
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/640
Av( Aperture Value ) 7.1
Metering Mode Partial Metering
ISO Speed 2500
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length 500.0mm
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Servo AF

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on July 23, 2011 at 11:22 AM

Very nice. I like the stretched wings, the color palette, the falling rain and the great eye detail. I might try to pull a touch more detail in the white feathers at the base of the tail if possible. Overall a very fine shot.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 23, 2011 at 3:23 PM

Great catch!
Nice pose and head-turn, and excellent wing position. Very busy Bg, but it works for me here. Great water drops!
The whites on the tail are hot; you might try to recover some detail or at least selectively dampen the brightness.
The overall image might benefit from a little darkening.
Nice!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on July 23, 2011 at 6:49 PM

Neal, it is a great pose with a wonderful look at the eye. I like the falling water. The issue I see is that there are a lot of blown out whites and a loss of detail in those areas. I agree with Sandy that this could be darkened globally.

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

Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on July 23, 2011 at 6:56 PM

What a pretty bird! Love the light gray tones in the feathers that go well with the water drops. I agree with the hot whites above the tail. Might be able to tone those down in post-processing. The look in the eyes is great and I really like the soft pinkish/tan oof distant bg. I'd be inclined (if you are not opposed) to toning down the bg, perhaps with some burning, to bring out the bird a little more.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on July 23, 2011 at 7:45 PM

Great pose, I agree with darkening it a bit. I think this is a Gabar Goshawk as opposed to a Dark Chanting Goshawk.

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

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on July 23, 2011 at 7:59 PM

Neil this is a great image but my suggestion would be to tone down the brightness a bit.Perhaps some of the whites are blown but may be recovered.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on July 24, 2011 at 11:41 AM

I've come back to this photo several times. At first I thought it was a bit bright, but I'm liking it more and more as posted. Wonderful pose. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on July 24, 2011 at 11:07 PM

Amazing looking bird with great detail in the face and eye. Just hot on the tail-I'd see if I couldn't get some back.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments