Bald Eagle on Post

Posted by Paul Skoczylas on Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:57 am

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I'm sure that we'll soon see numerous eagles posted from Homer, so I thought I'd get in a preemptive strike...

This was taken at the Reifel sanctuary near Vancouver. At one point, a little while after I took this, I panned my binoculars across a stand of trees and counted sixteen eagles... But then I went up to Brackendale the next day and saw even more.

Canon 20D, Sigma 50-500.

-Paul

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by Christopher Dodds on Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:46 am

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Hi Paul, Sorry for my honesty:
I find the bird to be too small in the frame, and the foreground to be a distraction. My suggestion would be to crop the image , eliminate the foreground and place the eagle in the upper right third. I find it hard to make such blunt comments, but after reading a post in photography topics "what makes you look...but not comment", decided to offer more constructive critiques :roll:
All said, I've spent a lot of time trying to shoot eagles in eastern Canada and appreciate how skittish they are - resulting in always having to crop. I hope my luck changes later this week in Alaska with Greg and Artie.
Best,
Chris

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by Mike Wilson on Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:28 pm

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I agree with Chris. There is too much negative space around the bird that doesn't contribute much to the image. The cut log in the bg is a distraction and the center placement is a little static. I like the relaxed pose with the wings hanging down and the exposure is good.

Mike Wilson
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by christoforos on Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:40 pm

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Nice capture Paul.
I would have moved a little to the left to eliminate that object in the BG as I think it is a little distracting. I would also place the eagle to the right side.
Not always does the bird need to be large in the frame! If you had a little better light and more interesting sky this would be even better.

Christoforos

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by amp5213 on Mon Jan 31, 2005 1:40 pm

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Paul,
I like the pose of the eagle. I also like to see some of the environment where the bird is so I wouldn't crop of as much as others suggest. I would suggest that you move a little to the right or left to get the bird off center and maybe crop a little of the sky.

Art Peslak
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by Dan Wolin on Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:02 pm

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It is an interesting place for an Eagle to sit - I have never seen one do this. I agree, in this case, a crop would make it more prominent and remove some distracting elements. I do like the wing position. I would say it is worth a trip back!

Dan Wolin
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by KK Hui on Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:32 pm

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As a bird shot for record that's fine, Paul ... :roll:

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by Tomasz on Mon Jan 31, 2005 11:49 pm

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In some way it is interesting shot, although hardly a cover photo. I would prefer to move the bird to the right. I wouldn't mind to have such picture as a record shot.

Tomasz Popek

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