This is Derek from the Carolina Raptor Center www.birdsofprey.org
I photographed, chose and entered this shot because I have never
taken a shot of an eagle. I went to the Raptor Center with all
intentions of submitting an eagle shot for this challenge.
I realise this shot is not sharp and it has some blown spots but
this shot was very hard to take. The eagle was near the back of
the cage. I was leaning over the railing with my boys holding my
belt so I would not fall, I had my lens stuck inbetween the metal
chain link fence so I could get a clear shot. I had the camera set
to full zoom with a 2x telephoto lens on. I'm sure I will get a
lot of negative comments about the techinical aspects of this image.
The title, FREEDOM was picked because the word stands for America
being free, while the bird is not (and I don't think America is either).
I am sure to get loads of flack for the title and because I chose a
caged bird and not a free one. Several people insinuated that for
some reason its not fair to take zoo or caged bird shots. I see no
reason not to. This bird will spend the rest of its life in a cage.
It is there to teach others about Raptors and how to deal with them
and preserve them. I chose to go here because I love the center and
love to donate and help animals.
I plan to layer another photo with better feathers and fix the
blown spots and soft focus for my own personal printing, this was
not allowed in the current rules. All in all, I wanted to do an
eagle shot, and this was the best I could do. I am somewhat pleased
with it and just hope it gets above a 5.
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That's a beautiful eagle! Is it even possible to take a picture of an eagle that doesn't look noble and regal?? Maybe a tiny bit more depth of field would have made all his feathers on top of his head sharp and focused, but it's still a beautiful shot anyway!
The band of white feathers bordering the brown seem excessively white and overexposed; this probably could have been reduced / eliminated by adjusting the curves. The DOF seems a touch shallow. This is the best portrait-style picture I've seen so far in the challenge.
Very nice photo. Love the beak and the eye, but, the feathers lost detail and seem soft and almost furry looking. Too bad. Still, it's a dramatic capture.
Good composition and colors. A few areas on the head looks like they have blown details. Looks like noise reduction was used significantly as there isnt much detail on the feathers and it has an overall smooth appearance that lacks texture.
He's probably caged. The title will undoubtedly draw you some flack. Good standard eagle headshot. Background seems to be bleeding into the feathers around his head.
Beautiful phot of such a regal bird, this image really shows the power and strenghth of this magnificent bird. Nicely done! Only fault I would mention is I would like to have seen more detail in the slightly blownout white feathers in the middle. Good luck. 9
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