On my way to Sistah Kate's house on Saturday I decided I might as well check out Montezuma for signs of winter wildlife. Nothing much at the refuge, but I was surprised to see the eagles at Mud Lock sprucing up the nest and trying mightily to generate a new brood of young. 
I was there about 2 hours on Saturday and again for an hour or so this morning. Mom and Pop are actively repairing the nest and mating - I did not expect to see activity so soon and wonder if they spent the winter here.
Today there was also a small flock of tundra swans - about 4 or 5 flying about. 
I took a short drive down Cayuga lake and found this great black-backed gull soaking up some rays. 
There were also lots of goldeneyes at the lock. Several folks came and went while I was there both Sunday and today. Their lenses, cameras and tripods looked far superior to my modest set up but I got some good shots nevertheless. I would, however, appreciate some input on the photo of the immature baldy shown here. Can't seem to get it to sharpen up without messing up the color balance.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Building the Next Generaton at Mud Lock
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3 comments:
Wow. I'm jealous of the day. I don't have any good advice about the pictures, since I seem to have similar issues.
But in the aspect of For What Its Worth I do have some opinions, which I stress are uninformed and unprofessional.
There's a trade off between sharpness and something ... what reality? Truthiness? Its possible to push pictures too far. I'm not saying that these are. I don't think they are, but they are sharp and maybe a little pushed.
The eagle in the middle looks really detailed in the larger version, which is nice.
One thing to watch for is what the pros call a hot spot. The tails of the eagle in one or two of these are a little 'hot'. Too bright to show the detail.
Careful with the brightness.
Having said all of that. These are interesting fun pictures with good quality.
I'm still trying to make a 'great' eagle picture.
Its really elusive.
I know how its impossible to get close to that nest. And knowing that, I'd say these pictures are remarkable!
Very impressive pics. I dunno about the problem photo: it looks pretty grainy already and I think if you sharpen it much more it'll just get grainier. It might help it change the hue of the sky behind him though, to make him stand out more.
Also, you could try Smart Sharpen, or just making your darks a little darker.
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