![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/rough-legged-hawk-3509b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rough-legged-hawk-3509b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nSomething a little different from me.<\/p>\n
Like most bird photographers I’m not fond of significant obstructions in front of my birds but in this instance I think the tall grasses are a positive contributor to the story of the image.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/5.6, ISO 500, 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 Three days ago as I was leaving Bear River MBR I watched as this male Rough-legged Hawk unsuccessfully went after prey in the tall grasses near the refuge entrance. When he landed in the grass he almost disappeared from view but it was my goal to get him in my viewfinder when he eventually popped up out of the thick vegetation. With all the grasses in front of him I didn’t expect to be able to lock focus on him until he rose completely above them but somehow I managed to get this single sharp shot while he was still partially buried.<\/p>\n The image works for me largely for two reasons – the individual grass stems are so thin we still get a surprisingly clear view of the entire hawk and the most important parts of the bird, his head, face and eyes, aren’t obstructed at all.<\/p>\n I often complain about photos that are soft when they shouldn’t be but in this case the opposite is true. I fully expected the bird to be soft but he was sharp. Or at least sharp enough.<\/p>\n A welcome departure from my usual modus operandi.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Something a little different from me.<\/p>\n