Friendly Kestrel

Gallery: AvianPosted February 10, 201599 views7 comments

Up until a month ago I had never even heard of the American Kestrel. One of my first shots with my Tamron lens on a very overcast day was of a Kestrel off in the distance. When I looked at my image later on the computer I had only one picture that was worth looking at and it showed the colors of the Kestrel, although I couldn't make out the head. I had no idea there was such a colorful bird of the Falcon family right here in my own backyard. I have fallen in love with this little hunter; since that time I have looked for Kestrels on every outing. I usually see them up on the power lines swooping down every now and then and moving on when I try to get close enough to take a picture. This friendly Kestrel, however, came down from the power line to sit on a fence post and stayed long enough for me to park my car directly across the road and take numerous photos.

Hopefully this one shows the sharpness I have been striving for.

Comments and critiques are more than welcome.

Canon 7D MkII, Tamron 150-600mm
1/4000 at 5.6
250mm
ISO 250
no flash
HH from car
PP in LR5
moderate crop

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Scott Frye on February 11, 2015 at 12:14 AM

Congrats on getting close on this guy -- I would try the crop as a vertical just to see what it looks like

Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 11, 2015 at 8:19 AM

I too love these guys. That is one big fence post or one small Kestrel. The size difference is striking. Anyway, back to the image. A agree with Scott on the idea of a vertical crop. The high shutter speed was not needed for this stationary subject, so you could have traded off shutter speed for a lower ISO. Even though the 7D Mark II deals well with noise, IQ would improve at lower ISO's. I also feel that you could lighten up the image a bit. It seems a little dark to me. The sharpness is not bad, but it's not great either. I notice that some of your shots involve a moderate or large crop. Large crops can diminish IQ, so I would encourage you to try to get closer to your subject in order to limit the crop later on in processing. I know this is sometimes easier said than done, believe me. My best images are almost always the ones with a minor crop. Food for thought.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Morris on February 11, 2015 at 10:05 AM

Thanks guys. I have done the things you've asked and hopefully a better result.

Jerry, I was fairly close to the bird, so sharpness shouldn't have been an issue. My SS was high because I expected this bird to leave the post at any second and I was hoping to get a few shots as he took off. I really didn't want to miss that chance and when he just sat there, I didn't make any changes. And yes, that's a big post.

Registered on January 23, 2015, 38 Posts, 104 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on February 11, 2015 at 10:22 AM

I also find these little falcons to be difficult to approach. The vertical comp is much better IMO. I would suggest cloning out the barbed wire.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 11, 2015 at 11:20 AM

Greg,

I like the repost much better. Lightening it helped a bunch. It even looks sharper to me. I agree about cloning out the wire if you feel comfortable with that. It doesn't really add anything to the image IMHO.

Jerry

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on February 11, 2015 at 11:42 AM

Greg, the re-post is a huge improvement for this image. The size difference in the post and the Kestrel is amazing. The bird looks reasonably sharp with a nice pose. Good job!

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on February 11, 2015 at 6:35 PM

Excellent job on the repost Greg, nice job getting close to this species. I was going to suggest lightening it before I saw the repost. A belated welcome to NPN

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