Barbara Mallon
July 2026 - Are You My Mother?
About the Image(s)
I was walking at the local park and someone pointed out the Red tail Parent at the top of a tree. I quickly went and got my camera. The parent was a fine picture but the juvenile in the pine tree was better. It won 1st place in the Camera Club. I took it with a 200-800 mirrorless lens with an r5 Mark2 camera. F9, 1000th sec, and mot sure why no ISO listed in Bridge.
3 comments posted
Barbara, this is undeniably an extremely engaging image and perhaps your best submission ever. You go girl! The perspective is wonderful and immediately grabs attention. We rarely see a raptor chick photographed from essentially eye level and from behind, looking back over its shoulder. The direct eye contact is almost anthropomorphic-it gives the bird a curious, almost mischievous expression that invites the viewer to linger. From an impact and visual-interest standpoint, it works.
Personally, I like this image a lot. It isn't a great storytelling image, but it is a terrific character study. The perspective is so uncommon that the image has an immediate - I've never seen a raptor photographed quite this way before - quality, and that alone that deserves a first-place award.
One item of improvement - you might consider reducing the amount of canvas taken up by the massive log occupying the bottom third of the frame - it just feels a bit heavy vis-à-vis the subject. Nonetheless, the unusual perspective and personality are certainly memorable - a most fortuitous capture :-)
Posted: 07/01/2026 22:19:20
Personally, I like this image a lot. It isn't a great storytelling image, but it is a terrific character study. The perspective is so uncommon that the image has an immediate - I've never seen a raptor photographed quite this way before - quality, and that alone that deserves a first-place award.
One item of improvement - you might consider reducing the amount of canvas taken up by the massive log occupying the bottom third of the frame - it just feels a bit heavy vis-à-vis the subject. Nonetheless, the unusual perspective and personality are certainly memorable - a most fortuitous capture :-)
Posted: 07/01/2026 22:19:20
Congratulation on winning first place, well deserved. What a nice person to point out the bird nest to you, and fortunate that you had a camera with big telephoto close by. The head and eyes are very sharp and the background blurry. I do like the crop that Butch made. Posted: 07/03/2026 18:52:40
The log in the foreground acts as a distraction.Partially removing it by cropping (Butch has done the job) improves the overall image. The eyes are sharp and the background blurry. Nice shot! Posted: 07/06/2026 15:23:54