Flight Head Shot

[Arthur Morris]

• SONY ILCE-1
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II + 1.4X Teleconverter
• ƒ/4
• 280mm
• 1/4000s
• ISO 400
• Arthur Morris
• Flash not fired
• Sat, 25 February 2023 3:25 PM
• BIRDS AS ART
• ILCE-1 v1.31

This image was created on 25 February 2023 on the second Bald Eagle Instructional Photo-Tour at Kachemak Bay, Homer, AK with the Sony a1. Incredibly, I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 400: 1/4000 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. AWB at 3:25:03pm on a sunny afternoon.

Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly.

With mirrorless, creating flight head shots is now a reality.

As for the image, all comments are welcome and appreciated.

If you would like to join me in Homer this winter, check out the BPN discounts here.

If you would like to become a better flight photographer, check out the guide I did with the venerable Arash Hazeghi here.

with love, artie

 

[Steve Kaluski]

Artie, is this FF or cropped?

Thanks
Steve

 

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, is this FF or cropped?

Thanks

Steve

This is the full frame original. I do wish that I had the primary tips at at the top. You can blame the photographer for that

with love, artie

 

[Steve Kaluski]

This is the full frame original. I do wish that I had the primary tips at at the top. You can blame the photographer for that

Artie, it's a moving subject, possibly shooting bare (the lens without the 1.4, nothing else :bg3:) may have created a looser frame and more options for cropping, but then having it on, offers other options too, so perhaps caught between a rock & a hard place?

Yes having the tips in would have been better, but I also wondered about seeing a bit/hint more of that nearer feather joint too, I think is just not enough???

It's certainly different and I think the diagonal creates for a strong comp and invokes speed., certainly breaks from 'tradition...' and no, I'm not breaking into Fiddler on the roof!!!

Artie not sure if you are aware, but when you are in the Raw module of Exp in ACR/Lr, if you keep your finger pressed down on the Option Key, then click either: the Highlights, Whites or Black slider, the image area will go Black, then whilst still pressing down going left to right with the slider, you can see where you start to clip. Then just toggle back to back off a fraction to avoid blowing or clipping, it may help as the whites of the head could brighten on the exp if you felt the need.

 

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Arthur a strong image of the majestic bird !!!
Would agree that the tip of the wings are missing in this shot , I for myself would pleased in the first place .... but folks who have thousands of images would wish to have the tips in .
Love the stare and strong facial expression , the darker areas are too dense for my personal liking .
Cool shot
TFS Andreas

 

[Dorian Anderson]

I love the intense look, but the composition isn't working for me; I find the far wing distracting and -- line Andreas -- the dark areas too heavy. I've tried isolating headshots from flight frames and met with limited success, mainly due to these
sorts of compositional challenges.

 

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Artie, as others have wrote I love the intense stare. You might try a crop just below the splayed primaries. Really nice tight head shot, thank you for sharing.

 

[William Dickson]

Well captured. I really like the whites and the facial expression. Beautiful detail on the bill and eye. I would be more than happy just getting so close to an eagle when photographing them.

Will