I like images taken in the rain, if you can see it. Often you cannot.
1/250, f/7.1, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, top of metal post removed, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this Swainson’s Hawk just over two weeks ago in Beaverhead County, Montana. It was taken in the evening of the day I arrived and the stormy weather didn’t bode well for the rest of my camping trip but thankfully it cleared up the next day. This bird was soaked as it sat out the storm perched near its nest that had apparently failed. I like the mood of the image with the obvious rain in the background and the wet bird with water dripping off its plumage, beak and talon.
It’s often very difficult or impossible to see the falling rain in an image like this unless the background is dark and far away from the subject. In many of my shots of this hawk the background is the lighter green at the bottom of the frame where the raindrops are much less conspicuous. But I was shooting from my pickup and I deliberately moved a foot or two in order to place the darker shaded trees behind the bird in the frame and hoped that the rain would become more obvious.
It worked and I like the result even though we can’t see most of the tail and there’s some background noise at this high ISO. That noise was exacerbated slightly because I chose to sharpen the entire image (instead of selective sharpening applied only to the bird and post). I made that choice in order to make the raindrops even more apparent.
Tradeoffs. Photography is very often a matter of tradeoffs.
Ron
He looks stoic in a miserable situation, I can’t help but wonder what they think.
The water drop on his beak and the one on his talon make me smile. He really is enduring this, isn’t he.
Wonderful shot. Makes me feel sorry for the Hawk though.
Yet another incredible reminder that we really don’t have a lot to complain about. Stoicism with a capital S.
I hope your poor mouth continues to heal.
Thanks for the good wishes, EC. So far, so good…
Wet and rainy as it is, somehow that bird, even with water dripping off his beak, feathers and talons, looks snug and dry inside…just patiently waiting it out. I used to feel kind of like that with my fleece jacket and my cagoule. Via snaps, I could shorten it or let it hang down to my ankles…can remember many rainy times in the mountains, hood pulled up visor pulled down hunkered down on a log, waiting for the rain to let up or stop. The ferns and moss got so green thet seemed to glow. It smelled wonderful! This image is one of my favorites, for many reasons, most of which you, Gena and Dick mentioned. Thanks for posting today…couldn’t have been easy.
Thanks, Patty. Actually, all involved with posting actually helps to take my mind off this sore jaw of mine. Tooth extraction and implant installation is traumatic but I think I’m mending nicely so far.
Fantastic results Ron! Thanks so much for sharing!
Charlotte
Thanks, Charlotte.
Cool! Even the colors look more regal in the rain!
Nancy, I think both the rain and the lack of light altered the colors a bit.
This is a wonderful portrait. The rain is a perfect backdrop for a bird whose nest apparently failed.
He looks stoic, doesn’t he…wonder how his nest “failed”…
I don’t know how it failed, Patty but there were no chicks in the nest when there should have been and the parents seemed to have abandoned it.
Agreed, Susan. That fact adds to the dark mood if you know the background story.
I really like photos like this which are unusual and different!! Wonderful shot, Ron!
Thank you, Gena. I do too.
I love the shot, stately, dealing with the adversity of weather. In my mind, although the hawk has some wet feathers, it shows what his oil gland can do to protect feathers from rain. Without preening with his oil gland he would be soaked to the core.
Thanks for sharing!
Good point about the uropygial gland, Dick, especially in this situation. Thank you.