![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/northern-harrier-9041b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"northern-harrier-9041b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nBlindsided by one of your own.<\/p>\n
I’m reaching way, way back for this one. The photo was taken at Farmington Bay WMA in February of 2008.<\/p>\n
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1\/1000. f\/10, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 II Extender, possibly baited<\/em><\/p>\n On that morning several Northern Harriers and been feeding on and fighting over this dead Mallard frozen into the ice. The bird on the right had been feeding so intently it didn’t see the second bird coming until the very last split-second. The result was predictable – another fight on the ice over the duck.<\/p>\n I took many photos of the harriers fighting but here I was attempting to capture one on the ice while another was still flying in to challenge it for the duck which I knew would present a major depth of field problem. In that situation getting both birds sharp is hugely difficult so I began to shoot at f\/10 to increase my DOF. That of course slowed my shutter speed significantly.<\/p>\n So I was gambling. Miraculously I split the difference just right and had barely enough SS and DOF to get both birds sharp. But wouldn’t you know it, I clipped a wing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There’s a reason I waited almost 13 years to post this photo. A year or two after I took it I heard a rumor that early that morning before anyone else arrived at the refuge another photographer may<\/em> have placed the Mallard in a spot on the ice conducive to photography. In other words the harriers may (or may not) have been baited. I’ll probably never know for sure but that morning another photographer with a reputation for such unethical hijinks was already on the refuge so it’s possible.<\/p>\n But I’ve always wanted to post this photo (despite the clipped wing) so I decided to disclose everything I know about it and let the chips fall where they may.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PS – this situation occurred very early in my photography career and it taught me an important lesson. Photographers who choose to use unethical methods not only put their own reputation in jeopardy and potentially risk doing harm to their subjects – their slimy techniques may also negatively affect other photographers.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Blindsided by one of your own.<\/p>\n