Taken at a nearby rehabilitation center for raptors. It's called Horizon Wings. They have some birds as permanent residents since they can't be released and be expected to survive. These include this redtail, as well as a Great Horned Owl, two Screech Owls, a peregrine falcon, a barred owl, and an american kestrel. In this pic, you can see how his left wing is held lower. If you ever get the chance to visit, the caretakers would love it. They really care about their birds.
pp - opened RAW in ACR, adjusting exposure, clarity and vibrance. also added in a little sharpen. crop, layers for levels, curves. USM at large radius. resize, USM at small radius. dodged a little of his eyes to make them pop, and a soft light layer to add some color and darkness to parts of the background. a little selective sharpen on his feathers. added border, save for web.
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Place: 25 out of 251 Avg (all users): 6.6934 Avg (commenters): 7.4706 Avg (participants): 6.6019 Avg (non-participants): 6.7798 Views since voting: 1749 Views during voting: 375 Votes: 212 Comments: 22 Favorites: 0
Great finish Steve, sorry Jeffrey ended up edging you out - it was fun to watch you two go at it for a week :-) This is a great shot, beautifully edited.
Nice colors. Looks like some grain visible on the left in the darker feathers. 'If only' the other eye with a little more light. Fairly minor, but I wonder if a variation in crop/composition may have given this a little more.
There are some incredible shots of birds of prey in this challenge but this is (imo) the best of them. Pin sharp, great dof anf a wonderful range of earthtones together with an expression on the bird of great intensity
Nice job, Steve! You definitely squeezed a little more pop out of it. It's a little sharper and the eyes are glowing more. I also like your color palette better than mine. Good luck! (no vote, of course)
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