![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-0070-vertical-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA post inspired by a comment from a viewer made on yesterday’s edition of Feathered Photography.<\/p>\n
Yesterday I made the observation that I sometimes feel like I’m invading the privacy of birds when I post photos of them pooping. In response to that statement, long-time blog follower “Arwen Professional Joy Seeker” said “The poop shots don\u2019t feel invasive to me. The mating shots however!!!!! snicker I am a 14 year old.sometimes”.<\/p>\n
Arwen’s comment made me think, and realize that I don’t feel like I’m invading their privacy when I post mating shots but I do feel that way when I post pooping shots and that disparity seems inconsistent of me. It also seems illogical and I can’t explain it but for some reason my perceived inconsistency exists.<\/p>\n
As I pondered my silliness I thought of a series of mating shots I took of Red-tailed Hawks in May four years ago. I remembered how much I liked them and also remembered that even though I’ve posted some of those photos in the past there are several very nice ones that have never seen the light of day.<\/p>\n
And they deserve to, so here’s one more.<\/p>\n
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1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I love the behavior, the authentically natural setting and the quality of the photos in the entire series. As they often do, in this shot the male was having difficulty gaining his balance atop the female’s back before completing the act. Eventually he was successful but it took a while, long enough for me to take dozens of what I consider to be very nice photos documenting the behavior.<\/p>\n The only difficulty I had with them was how to crop them for the composition I liked best. This vertical composition emphasizes the height of the rocky outcrop they were on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A horizontal crop puts more emphasis on the lateral structure of the outcrop. I like both versions but I gravitate toward the vertical crop, probably because the hawks are larger in the frame and show more detail and because one bird on top of the other, with its wings in the up position, naturally lends itself to a vertical composition.<\/p>\n In the past I’ve posted several photos of these mating hawks and never once did I give a thought to the possibility that I might be invading their privacy by posting them. So why do I sometimes feel that way when I post poop shots?<\/p>\n I dunno. It flies in the face of my clinical, scientific background.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-0070-horizontal-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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