Pamela Hoaglund
July 2025 - Eagle Landing
Original
About the Image(s)
This image was taken at Deep Creek also known as eagle beach in Alaska in early June. The fisherman clean their fish and then take the scrapes up the beach for the eagles and gulls to feed on. The big challenge was trying to isolate an eagle or several eagles without a bunch of gulls in the image. In this case I think the two gulls add to the story. Taken with my Sony 7RMV, Tamron 50-400mm lens at ISO 640, shutter 1/600 sec at f/7.1 with EV +0.3 compensation. Post processed in ON1 PhotoRaw 2025. Normal tonal adjustments, masked the eagle and added dynamic contrast. I don't remember if I ran it through NoNoise in ON1 but it is something I usually do. Cropped and straightened.
7 comments posted
Wonderful action shot. The eagle landing among the sea gulls headed toward the fish on shore. The eagle's intent and concentration are excellently captured. I do feel that a little more detail in the eagle would help. I played a little. Adjustments - shadows and highlights - shadows 17 - highlights 35 and then went to Levels - options - enhance monochromatic contrast and saved. I do feel that more definition is brought out in the eagle and not changing the rest of the image. Again great capture. Posted: 07/14/2025 15:01:50
Thanks Tom. Good suggestion. Posted: 07/16/2025 18:59:49
Amazing action shot that you captured and tells a great story that you detailed. They obviously were not bothered by your presence and focused on the scraps. To me the two gulls add to the story and they don't seem bothered by the incoming Eagle. Great capture. Posted: 07/16/2025 21:59:02
I like the image, gulls and all. I like what Tom did and might even go a bit further to dodge a bit of light under the wings and tone down the white on the top of the head, if possible. Nice crop and it tells the complete story. Posted: 07/16/2025 23:03:58
Because I am traveling this month, I can only view this on my laptop rather than a large monitor, so please bear with me. In my opinion, this is a strong nature story. I like the wing position of the eagle and the sharp head and eye. As Mike and Tom noted, you might try to open up the shadows especially on the under side of the wings. I would also suggest darkening the foreground a bit to keep the viewer's eye on the action. Posted: 07/19/2025 18:05:52
Great action shot and story. Your crop is perfect. The gulls add much to the story. The eagle's eye is on the fish and the gull's eye is on the eagle. I like Tom's tweaks. This image is wall and exhibit-worthy! Posted: 07/23/2025 17:30:16
Very nice capture Pamela, great wing position. Others have mentioned bringing out the details in the wings. Would a touch of contrast help? I like that you have maintained the natural dark color of the eagle, to me, a large change in the shadows changes the natural wing color and confuses the direction of the sunlight falling on its head and neck. Posted: 07/25/2025 18:45:05