Savannah Hawk

Gallery: AvianPosted September 16, 2011570 views19 comments

This is one of my favorite raptors because of it's beautiful plumage when it flies. This was taken recently during our trip to Argentina, this bird had just taken off from it's fencepost. The light was fading so I had to use a lower shutter speed and F-stop than I would prefer on a flight shot but I think it worked out well. Cropped to about 60% of FF.

7D 500F4 1/800 F4.5, iso 640, handheld

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on September 16, 2011 at 5:02 AM

Very beautiful bird! Nice pose, comp, and the rain streaks and soft mist are exellent.
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on September 16, 2011 at 7:54 AM

Excellent image under these conditions, hat's off to ya Nate.
Nice contrast & natural color, it would've been tempting to up it here.
Great technique to pull it off so well

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Marquart on September 16, 2011 at 8:15 AM

Very nice image Nate.

Registered on October 24, 2009, 126 Posts, 799 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on September 16, 2011 at 8:17 AM

Excellent job getting this shot in these conditions, Nate. What an awesome looking hawk with that cinnamon color in it's wings. Nice wing position and nice eye contact. The rain and mist really add to the image. Great job.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 16, 2011 at 9:55 AM

A beautiful shot of the raptor. I agree with Howard on the contrast, but this probably better represents the conditions.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by keith mitchell on September 16, 2011 at 11:36 AM

Nate i like it all, the rain drops are a bonus and the bird looks so natural it's great!

Keith.

Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments

Comment posted by Darren Colello on September 16, 2011 at 12:18 PM

I too really like these hawks. I observed this species for the first time in the Pantanal, and was thrilled. Your comp here is amazing. I really like the detail, the wing pose and the rain. Great effect!!!

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on September 16, 2011 at 3:35 PM

That is one pretty raptor Nate. I can see why it is one of your favorites. I like the rainy conditions. Very different. Nice sharpness for the SS and f you had to use. Well done.

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

Comment posted by Roger Leekam on September 16, 2011 at 4:45 PM

Nate, I love the atmosphere with mist & rain. Work of art as well as Nature - could even call it a masterpiece.

Registered on May 28, 2009, 83 Posts, 646 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on September 16, 2011 at 9:16 PM

The larger version shows how well it did work out. Beautifully sharp for those conditions.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by denise ippolito on September 17, 2011 at 12:07 AM

Beautiful looking bird Nate. You did a great job w/ the conditions.

Registered on December 17, 2009, 202 Posts, 1529 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on September 17, 2011 at 12:39 AM

Great image of this raptor. I like the mood the rain creates.

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

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on September 17, 2011 at 2:01 AM

Amazing capture Nate and nicely composed! The raindrops really enhance and visually explain the setting and conditions. Not sure if it would be much of an improvement, but if this were mine I think I'd be tempted to slightly darken the Hawk to make it pop just a little more, even though in reality the tones looked exactly as you have them here.

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on September 18, 2011 at 3:07 PM

Wow! That's pretty awesome! It looks like you have pretty good detail considering the low light. I really like the rain drops and the foggy feel.

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on September 19, 2011 at 10:34 PM

Great job getting this shot under the conditions Nate and I see why this is one of your favorite species...looks beautiful to me as well. My only nit is the color looks flat to me. I understand the conditions and why, but think I still would bump it up in PS if it were mine. I think it would just make this stand out more because it should since it is such a nice shot.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on September 20, 2011 at 1:35 AM

Thanks for your comments everyone.

In my opinion the colors in the larger version are realistic, in fact I did increase the contrast a little bit from the raw file but I wanted the image to be consistent with the rainy, dark conditions. I still think the bird pops well and anymore contrast would change the mood of the shot too much imo.

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

Comment posted by Monica Siri on September 20, 2011 at 3:19 PM

What a beautiful hawk, Nate. Great capture in not easy conditions. I love the rainy and foggy atmosphere. Very well done.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on September 20, 2011 at 6:57 PM

I can see why you would like this raptors, in some ways the color scheme reminds me of a harris's hawk. Nice job in getting this flight shot in the rain, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on September 20, 2011 at 10:54 PM

Now that's cool Nate. A shot in the rain and looks great. I really likethis one..

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