![\"ferruginous-hawk-8127b-ron-dudley\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/ferruginous-hawk-8127b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\nOccasionally\u00a0a photo\u00a0appeals to me largely\u00a0because of its visual tension. The juxtaposition of opposing forces and\/or asymmetrical composition can\u00a0create a sense of instability that adds a feeling of energy and vitality to an image. This photo of a Ferruginous\u00a0Hawk taken\u00a0a few months ago in Montana’s Centennial Valley is just such an image for me.<\/p>\n
I like the asymmetry of this perch and how its apparently unsupported left side appears to oppose the force of gravity. I almost expect those wooden rails to fall or at least lean\u00a0down on that side. And because the hawk is standing on one foot its posture isn’t quite vertical. The bird is leaning slightly to our right – almost like it’s\u00a0tipped in that direction in an effort to prevent the rails from falling (or to compensate for it if they do). The more I look at this photo the more I enjoy its visual tension\u00a0and that surprised me.<\/p>\n
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![\"ferruginous-hawk-8132-ron-dudley\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/ferruginous-hawk-8132-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n A few seconds later the hawk took off. Though the bird is side-lit there’s some light in the eye and I like the way the horizontal wing position mimics the old wooden rails.<\/p>\n But I’ll be perfectly honest. When I quickly culled the images taken on this day several months ago\u00a0the only reason I kept that first\u00a0photo was as a potential\u00a0introduction to the take-off\u00a0shot if I ever chose to post it. Now I actually like the first image at least as much as I do the second, for the\u00a0reason’s I’ve stated above.<\/p>\n Opinions may vary and that’s perfectly fine. After all, so do tastes…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n PS – For curious regular readers –\u00a0these images were taken with one of my 7D’s instead of my 7D Mark II because the Mark II was malfunctioning at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prepare yourself because I’m probably going to overanalyze this first image. I can feel it coming…<\/p>\n