Eaglets in the Nest Indian Lake Estates In-the-Field Workshops
Join me for two hours of instruction at Indian Lake Estates any day from now through the morning of Monday 13 February: $200.00. Add a working brunch with image review and a Photoshop session for another $100.00 to round out an incredibly educational morning. Though we will concentrate on the baby eagles, there is lots going on right now. Backup subjects include Sandhill Cranes, Ospreys building nests, and more. If you would like to set up a session on a suitable weather morning, please contact me via e-mail.
The Homer IPTs
It’s Never Too Late!
I hate sailing with a less than full boat. If you would like to make a low-ball offer on one or more of the Bald Eagle IPTs below, please click here.
IPT #1: MON 20 FEB 2023 through the full day on FRI 24 FEB 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Sold Out
IPT #2: SAT 25 FEB 2023 through the full day on THURS 2 MAR 2023. Six full days/24 hours on the boat: $6600.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 3.
IPT #3: FRI 3 MAR 2023 through the full day on TUES 7 MAR 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers. Openings: 1.
Rooms at Land’s End Resort are currently available for all of the dates above.
What’s Up?
Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s post. I shall respond as needed when I get back from the lake. As noted briefly yesterday, I had a great morning at the eagle nest. I started doing backlit and then drove around to the sunny side. Both were great but still no branching eaglets. And most amazingly, I finished my 2022 taxes yesterday afternoon. Today I will be getting everything off to my great accountant, Chip Jackson. Aside from being pleasant, efficient, and thorough, with a great sense of humor, Chip is a retired IRS agent.
Today is Wednesday 8 February. The forecast for this morning is looking perfect with clear skies and an east/northeast breeze. I am bringing my ladder down to the lake! This blog post took less than an hour to prepare plus more than an hour at the computer creating today’s featured image, and makes three hundred sixteen days in a row with a new, educational post. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
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The plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then go back to posting every other day.
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The two images that created this partial composite were created yesterday, 7 February 2023. Seated on damp mud, I used the lowered, no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 640. 1/3200 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:24:12am on a clear morning. Manual focus with Focus Peaking performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Bald Eagle chicks in the nest: Look! Mommy’s Home. |
The Situation
Both chicks were sitting up as I got into position working at 1200mm. But they were facing away from me, looking to the east. I knew that I needed to wait for them to change position. When one of the adults, probably the female, flew in and landed on her favorite perch above the nest, the two eaglets looked up expectantly. I had the shot I wanted. But there was a bigger story to be told so I swung the lens up and to the left. I was using manual focus. The adult eagle lit up with the red Focus Peaking overlay, so I did not have to worry about accurate focus. Being in Manual mode, I knew that the exposure was perfect, so I made a short series of images of the adult on the perch.
Screwed Up Again! What’s Real? What’s Fake?
Then I seriously screwed up.
Enlarge the image and then take a very close look at the image. For the eagle-eyed, there will be lots of clues as to what parts of the image are real, and what parts are fake.
If you analyze things accurately, you should be able to figure out what I did not do.
Whether you figure it out or not, all are invited to leave a comment on the image or anything else that comes to mind.
I will reveal all on Friday.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
When you took the 2nd shot to include momma, you recomposed so the combined image had top right and bottom left without an image. A 4 image pano, 2 bottom and 2 top, keeping the top and bottom on the same horizontal plane would have provided the missing details.
So there is some funny business going on in the lower left. Lots, actually, upon close examination.
The question remains, what mistake did I make in the field that made things impossible.
with love, artie
The lowest pine clump is replicated one clump above, so in addition to Joel’s observations, you’ve added canvas on the lower left. That then implies that you added canvas to the upper right. Cloning that would be straight forward.
There’s an exposure difference along the line Joel mentioned, and in general between the lower left corner and the rest of the image. Exposure on the adult is fine, as you mentioned, but could repositioning the lens for the adult have put the sun in the lower left corner? Doesn’t fit, however, with your comment about a bigger story, so there’s probably something more. Sweet image, so I hope it can be repaired.
I see some funny business on the left between the pine tree and the eagle tree …. there is a horizontal line which I assume is remnants of some cloning. Also the Spanish moss on the lower left limb of the eagle tree is hanging at a strange angle whereas all the other moss is hanging straight down.