As usual I have a rather tight composition but I have left what I think a large space in front of the eagle. I think the main object here is the eagle and I want to show as many details as possible, More trees will not copntribute to my opinion. What do you think?
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Nikon D850, Nikon 180-400mm with tc @ 550 mm, f/5,6, 1/1600s, ISO 280
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The Golden Eagle is coming in low over the snow. I´m lying with the camera just in level with the snow and I get the out of focus trees in the background and a direct contact with the eagles eyes.
Lennart, I love the position of the wings on this, and the direct eye contact. He obviously was aware of your presence. I don’t have a problem with the space you gave him, but when I bring up the large view, it appears like maybe it was back focused more on his wings that his face. At I see more details there on the wings than I do in the feathers on his head. I can image though, that with the adrenalin rush, the position you were in, and the eagle flying toward you, all made this a not so easy a shot to pull off. I would still be pleased to call this mine! Hopefully you clicked off several shots and maybe you have another image with the sharpness on the face.
I don’t think this one is too tight. I love the light shining on its face and I like the snow-covered ground in the image. The BG can be less messy and I would consider reducing the contrast there but in a way they supplement the feathers.
I do see what Shirley mentioned about the back focusing. I am not sure if selectively sharpening the head would help that issue. It’s always best to start with a focused shot.
Terrific capture of this eagle inflight-the exposure is excellent and I like your composition choice as well. Perhaps another round of selective sharpening around the head would addess the comments made above.
Excellent oncoming wing position. I also find the BG to be a little distracting and the image itself to be a little flat in large view. Perhaps a contrast boost on the bird and another round of sharpening on the face.
Excellent capture, Lennart! I think the tight crop is good choice. It has just enough extra room in front of the eagle to give it space to move into and it doesn’t feel crowded. The wing positions are perfect and I don’t see the same sharpness issue with the face that others do. When I double click on the photo for maximum zoom the eyes are every bit as sharp as other parts of the bird. The whole image could maybe use a tiny bit more sharpening though, which might help with the fine detail.
