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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Behind the Image: Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk
Nikon D90, Sigma 150-500mm OS, f8, ISO 400, 1/2000

I made this image last spring after laying on my belly for a couple of hours photographing water fowl. I was walking to my car when this Red-tailed Hawk landed on a nearby tree. I set my gear down and got ready for it to take off. To my surprise it flew parallel to me, opposed to flying away.

I have wanted to photograph a Red-tailed hawk for years without much luck. When the opportunity arose for me I knew what I had to do. I knew my camera settings and made some quick adjustments. When the hawk did take off I was ready to shoot and I ended up with a nice in flight photo.

After the hawk flew away, I turned to the guy I was shooting with and asked if he got anything good. He missed it completely because he wasn't expecting it to fly parallel to us. I believe that if an opportunity arises you should slow down and get ready for the unexpected. You just never know what you might come up with!

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