Along The Deerfield. December 10, 2012
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: bald eagle, Canon 2X tele-Extender III, Canon 400mm f/5.6L prime lens, Charlemont MA, deerfield river, Gizmo, high ISO photos, route 2
2 comments
On the way to the Shelburne Falls post office this morning I spied an eagle in a tree across the Deerfield river from Route 2.
Naturally, I hung a Bat Turn to get a shot.
I took these from my driver’s seat while pulled over on the shoulder:
That’s from about 50 yards away, with Gizmo’s 400mm and a 2X Tele-Extender, and cropped pretty hard.
I was hoping to get this beauty taking off, but all it seemed inclined to do was preen in the drizzle. 😦
At last it spread it’s wings:
…but only hopped to another nearby branch.
These were taken at ISO 4000 and f/11, so they’re not technically great. Still, I had fun shooting them; gotta practice that steady hand, especially with no auto focus or image stabilization on this lens!
Birds Of Prey. August 27, 2012
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: 2X tele-Extender III, bald eagle, Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens, eagles, Gizmo, hawks, New England, red tail hawk
7 comments
I haven’t seen prominent displays of eagles on the river since Spring, and our local population of hawks is pretty private, so I was pleased today to find both within range of my lens and comfortable enough with my presence to sit for me.
Well, the eagle wasn’t exactly close – it was perhaps a hundred yards away, and sitting in a densely-leaved tree, but I reeled it in with Gizmo and a 2X Tele-Extender for an effective focal length of 800mm. The shot is hand-held, albeit resting on the door of my car, and cropped pretty hard to get this:
The faster version of this lens, with image stabilization, is a cool thousand dollars more than what I paid for Gizmo, so you’ll have to suffer with us until I hit the lottery.
I did get closer to a red tailed hawk perched on a roadside fence post this very same morning, and didn’t have to crop the photo to give you this:
I crept my 4-Runner up the shoulder of the road over ten or so minutes to position myself across from this beautiful bird, who stayed put and let me. Go figure – perhaps they know the difference between being loved and hunted.
I see lots of raptors every day, but it’s not every day that I have a chance to photograph them.
Thank you, Father Sky, for lending me your children.
Little Bang Theory 