Red-Shouldered Hawk

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DavidOPhoto

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I am very happy with this shot and would like some honest feedback. I was very lucky to catch this Red-Shouldered Hawk in the late afternoon light and it stayed in one spot for a long time, allowing me to take over 200 frames. It really didn't need a lot of post-processing, but I tried to keep it as natural as possible. Thanks for looking.
Nikon D500, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, Nikon 200-500mm @ 310mm
Olshan_Hawk.jpg
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Really nice image, tack sharp, great background, great pose, really like the eye engagement.

I might pull try pulling down the highlights a bit as others have mentioned but I don't think it's too bad as is. If this is a crop, I might try cropping to push the hawk a bit to the left as it has implied sight lines and body direction back to the right. Hard to say if that would help or not but I tend to position my subjects so any implied sight or motion lines lead across the majority of the frame. A very gentle vignette (edge darkening) might also help but I'd try to keep it very subtle.

Really nice image and good on ya for putting in the field time and working the subject.
 
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Thank you all so much for your helpful comments. I took most of the advice and agreed with many of the comments. I did very gently bring down the highlights on the hawk and a couple of spots on the branch. I knew the whites were hot and they were already toned down some, but as you can see, the sun was hitting it right there. The highlights were turning a little gray so I added a little yellow on the temp to keep the warm sun color. I gave it some more headroom and very light vignette. It's difficult to take criticism when I really love what I created, but I am finding that getting some more experienced eyes on the photo is making me better. I can't wait to print this one 11 x 14 and hang it in my home.


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DavidOPhoto said:
Thanks! We D500's have to stick together. While the world is passing us by, we need to show them that we are just fine.
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Agreed! I just upgraded to a nice used 500mm pf and hope to get out there more soon. It needed service at Nikon but it's back now. It's what I can afford for now at least. It's still an amazing camera I'm learning how to use.
All my best, Alan
 
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DavidOPhoto said:
Thank you all so much for your helpful comments. I took most of the advice and agreed with many of the comments. I did very gently bring down the highlights on the hawk and a couple of spots on the branch. I knew the whites were hot and they were already toned down some, but as you can see, the sun was hitting it right there. The highlights were turning a little gray so I added a little yellow on the temp to keep the warm sun color. I gave it some more headroom and very light vignette. It's difficult to take criticism when I really love what I created, but I am finding that getting some more experienced eyes on the photo is making me better. I can't wait to print this one 11 x 14 and hang it in my home.


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Much better! Hope I wasn't too harsh, it's a great shot. Especially love the palm leaves coming in, gives it a Florida feel. This was in Florida, wasn't it?
 
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raptor photo said:
Much better! Hope I wasn't too harsh, it's a great shot. Especially love the palm leaves coming in, gives it a Florida feel. This was in Florida, wasn't it?
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Not harsh at all and very helpful comments. I too feel it's a better shot now. Yes, it was in Florida at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach. I am so lucky to live only 30 minutes away from this gold mine of Florida wildlife.
 
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