Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I’m fortunate enough to live across the street from a lake and provincial park and still be within Edmonton, Ab city limits. After hiking 8 km on a different part of the lake I came home and my wife suggested we go for a short walk as she works from home. When she asked if I was bringing my camera I said no. “you should take your camera”, “No, I’m good”. So that went back and forth and like a dummy I didn’t bring the camera. we walk across the road, down a path and bam… juvenile eagle in a stand of trees on the edge of the lake with 2 adult bald eagles circling over top. As I sprinted back to the house to grab my monopod, camera and rubber boots I heard my wife’s parting words “Did I not tell you to bring your camera”. I set up on the Juvenile, and starting composing the photos, while working exposure with changing light.
Unfortunately in my haste I set up with bad light, and the eagle was nearly backlit. I catch some decent photos and a shot of it flying away. I meet back up up with my wife and tell her about the light and how the whole time I was considering moving to the other side of the stand where the light would have been optimal (100m give or take), but was worried it would take too long moving over there and I thought it was pretty thick to move through.
“Well I’ll get our son off the bus, you go take a look for next time… but its pizza night and its gonna be here soon so dont miss supper”.
I walk around to where the light is way better and low and behold there is a perfect open areawith bits of cover. So I set up and start finding a goot spot where things are composed (The eagles have hung out here in the past)
I frame on the branch and look up from the viewfinder… and who comes back to the exact spot ive composed, the eagle.
Needless to say I didn’t make it home for pizza.
Specific Feedback
Im open to any feedback,
but Im curious if I had dialed down the shutter speed to drop the ISO if it would have resulted in a sharper photo. I had it high to catch it as it came off the branch.
Technical Details
Nikon z6ii, 400mm Z f4.5, 1.4 TC
1/3200 f/6.3 ISO720
Sun was pretty high in the sky at this point
For processing, the photo is pretty heavily cropped and the main things I did was upping the contrast, cooling the overall photo and then using a subject mask to warm the eagle. there is a bit of noise Reduction for the overall photo. Also add white vignette which is a first for me.
I also removed a string which some people flying kites have seemed to litter the area with.