Usually when I photograph Northern Harriers they are my intended subject. Yesterday morning this bird was an exception as it caught me completely unprepared.
1/8000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I was photographing Pied-billed Grebes and a lone Common Merganser at Farmington from my pickup when this adult female harrier (thanks for the correction, Jerry L.) suddenly appeared above the phragmites behind the pond. I had no time to make any appropriate adjustments so I simply swing my lens up and fired away. The pond had been relatively dark and the sky was much brighter so my shutter speed was off the charts and the bird somewhat underexposed. If I’d been shooting in JPEG rather than RAW I’d likely have trashed the shot.
As the hawk passed over the back edge of the pond it suddenly banked away which gave me good morning light on the entire ventral surface. There appears to be snow on her bill and the gray sky color is our morning haze fairly low near the horizon.
Harriers have been unusually scarce at Farmington for most of the winter but yesterday a few of them made an appearance. I hope they continue to do so…
Ron
What a nice gift -great pose and light!
A beautiful shot Ron. You captured the details in its beautiful face. I too hope you see more.
Thanks, Jean.
Ron, superb “reaction” photograph! Harriers are truly beautiful subjects!
Another thank you note – due to your influence, I’ve switched to shooting primarily in aperture priority mode with a higher ISO and have been happy with the overall results. Now, if I can just get that focus thing to work……..
I hope the new shooting parameters work well for you in the long run, Wally.
this – is – spectacular!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the image, Lois.
This is a beautiful bird and I love the angle you were able to photograph. Did you have to do a great deal of post processing to bring up the exposure for the Harrier. It looks just right in the photo. Also, did you have to work with the sky at all? I am a new follower. I like Melissa Gro’s photos and she suggested people follow you. I am glad she sent us your way and am enjoying learning about birds from you.
Thanks, Wendy. All I did to this image was crop, a moderate increase in exposure to the entire cropped image and then selectively sharpen the bird. I don’t do selective adjustments to sky backgrounds (other than the relatively rare application of noise reduction). Melissa is a wonderful photographer, a great person and I highly admire her ethics.
Beautiful photo Ron. Harriers are my favorite. I have heard them called “the super-models of the raptors” — tall, sleek, thin.
I notice you shoot with your 7D a lot at higher ISO than I do on my 7D. I will start to give it a try on my 7D. I have almost given up on my old and trusty 7D for the 5D3, however, I do not see any noise in your photos and they are very sharp.
“Super-models of the raptors” – a new phrase for me but it’s certainly appropriate for them, Ed.
My default ISO setting on the 7D is 500 because I shoot at higher shutter speeds than most folks (I like to be prepared for unexpected fast action as I’m big into behaviors). As long as I’ve exposed the image properly, noise doesn’t seem to be a significant issue until I get above ISO 640/800 or have a dark background.
Thanks Ron, I will start trying higher ISO’s on my 7D. They are great cameras. Mine has been very reliable for so long. Your photos have inspired me to start using the 7D more.
The harriers are indeed fun. They always surprise me. My best moment was seeing a male fly 10 feet off the ground directly towards me along one of the levy roads. Love those yellow eyes, black wing tips, and gray bodies.
Well done for being unprepared, excellent, sharp and beautiful feather markings!
Thank you, Dick.