Angela Bonner, PPSA
October 2024 - Golden Eagle
Original
About the Image(s)
Taken with my Canon R5, 70-200mm lens, ISO 2000, F/5.6, 1/3200 sec
A friend and I went to a "Flying Birds of Prey" workshop last Thursday. The weather was bad most of the day and a washout later!! It was quite hard to get the birds really sharp and I had to use a high ISO most of the time meaning I had a lot of noise to contend with. This Eagle was huge and therefore a bit easier to photograph than some of the smaller and faster ones!!
I cropped in quite hard. Removed his jessies and the GPS on his back.Lightened the shadows and blurred the background. I think the background could be blurred more? In H&S I increased the yellow in his eyes and beak. Finally using high pass I sharpened the bird only.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted
Kurt Reinhard
Hi Angela. With your edits you did a great job of emphasizing the eagle. I really liked the determined look in the eagle's eye. I think that blurring the background more, along with the determined look of the eagle, might add some 'speed' to the flight of the eagle. I hope that makes sense. Posted: 10/01/2024 20:58:41
It is amazing how clear he is when you have cropped so much of the photo. The fact that he is looking at you makes the image. The background could be blurred a little more to make him stand out even more. Posted: 10/03/2024 19:15:43
Wonderful image Angela! Super sharp subject - great focus! I agree the busy background is also focused well, and a little blur might help isolate it from the background. I gave it a shot with Photoshop, selecting the subject then inverting the selection. Then I applied a Gaussian blur and adjusted the curve to lighten it some. I also did it with a motion blur (will post in a separate comment). Posted: 10/07/2024 00:19:37
Thanks Tom. Certainly makes the eagle stand out. Posted: 10/07/2024 15:24:34
This is the one with the motion blur applied to the background. Not sure which I like better. Perhaps your original is the best! Posted: 10/07/2024 00:21:09
I think perhaps a little less blur but good idea!! Posted: 10/07/2024 15:25:22
What a wonderful opportunity to get this amazing shot! I like the crop and I think the curve of his wings really makes this come alive. The edits you did add a lot to the picture. Maybe a bit more blur would help to make him stand out more. I like this action shot! It shows how fierce they can be! Posted: 10/16/2024 00:17:43
(Group 18)
Great result from such a small potion of the original. A great expression on the bird. I thik that you were lucky with the poor weather as a bright sunny day might have brightened the backgound too much. Posted: 10/16/2024 20:06:07