![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/american-kestrel-4949-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"american-kestrel-4949-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThis is a pose I almost never get from a kestrel.<\/p>\n
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1\/800, f\/10, ISO 500, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + EF 1.4\u00a0Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I photographed this\u00a0beautiful male kestrel at Farmington\u00a0Bay\u00a0way back in yesteryear, on the morning of\u00a0New Years Day Eve\u00a02008. I’ve never posted the image before because the bird is sidelit and I don’t like the composition options\u00a0I’m restricted to. I was very close to the bird so I was shooting vertically while he was perched vertically but when he unexpectedly began to groom his tail he became too tight\u00a0at the frame edges for pleasing composition. In hindsight I should have simply rotated my camera but in the time that would take\u00a0I was afraid I’d miss that special shot\u00a0so I just kept firing away.<\/p>\n But I’ve now\u00a0determined that I like the pose and behavior\u00a0so much\u00a0I can live with the sidelight (especially since I do have a catch light in the eye) but I\u00a0simply cannot\u00a0live with this composition.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So I “cheated” and added canvas to the left side of the frame. I try very hard to resist doing\u00a0this kind of manipulation of my images but this time Photoshop seduced me. I think including more of the perch with its wind-blown snow on the side has its charm but overall I\u00a0prefer this second version. Another option would have been to keep the vertical composition (and more of the snowy\u00a0perch) by cropping a little tighter on the right and adding canvas on the left. I might try that down the road\u00a0but overall I\u00a0tend to prefer horizontal compositions. Opinions may vary…<\/p>\n I have another image of this bird in this pose where he’s working over one of those distinctive\u00a0black and white\u00a0outer tail\u00a0feathers (they can’t be seen here). I think I’d have liked that photo even more than this one\u00a0but there’s even\u00a0less light on his face and none at all in\u00a0his eye. Disappointing…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: \u00a0On those very rare occasions when I do any significant cloning to my images, including adding canvas,\u00a0I always disclose what I’ve done.\u00a0To me it\u00a0seems misleading and\u00a0dishonest not to, especially in nature photography. That said I do sometimes clone out dust spots or a few dark spots on water or even enhance an\u00a0existing catch light (I never add catch lights)\u00a0without disclosing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is a pose I almost never get from a kestrel.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/american-kestrel-4949-canvas-added-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"american-kestrel-4949-canvas-added-ron-dudley\\"")
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