Sandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis) / Wings in the Sun

Jim Keener · Jan 17, 2016

I have a favorite spot now at the Bernardo Wildlife Area. It's on the southwest corner of a cornfield. Unlike some of the spots at the Bosque del Apache where photographers can get relatively close to the birds, at Bernardo the cranes are further away. I need longer reach there. So I set up a 500mm f/4 with the 2X tele extender and the 1DX. I got to Bernardo in the early afternoon, and with the sun at a fairly low angle in this season, I could make some interesting photographs even then. With several thousand birds in front of me, there were constantly available images to capture. The primary limitations were my imagination and skill, plus the limits of the lens. I was in a high emotional state the whole time I was there. I'll be back.

This is a common style of photograph of a Sandhill Crane in flight. The reason I'm presenting it is the light on the wings, the clarity of the head, and prominence of the red crown. I think the artifacts on the near wing primaries are on the bird, not introduced by the camera or processing. What do you think?

Canon EOS-1D X
EF500mm f/4L IS USM +2x III
ƒ/8
1000mm
1/2000s
ISO 250
James Keener rs
Flash not fired
Thu, 14 January 2016 12:50 AM
Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.3 (Macintosh)

ORIGINAL

Screen Shot 2016-01-16 at 10.15.22 PM.png

Canon 1DX, 500/4, 2X TE
1/2000, f/8, ISO 250

LR: + highlights, shadows, vibrance, and clarity - whites, blacks, +saturation red and blue
PS: smart sharpen

I'm eager to know your C&C.

Glennie Passier · Jan 17, 2016

Jim, Very nice. I like the pink tone throughout the bird and the composition looks good to me. He's sharp and his bill is slightly open. This is a plus for me.His little pink feet match his feathers. I also like the missing shafts of the primary feathers. I can't see the artifacts on the near wing you talk about. The only nit I have is I think I can see noise under his wing. (as opposed to under his tail!:w3)
Something else really disturbs me...he is flying left instead of right.

I so love these cranes...and our Brolgas. I've copied a verse from one of Australia's well known poets, Banjo Patterson and I think you will appreciate it. The "grey companions:, are of course the Brolgas.

Land of plenty or land of want, where the grey Companions dance,
Feast or famine, or hope or fear, and in all things land of chance,
Where Nature pampers or Nature slays, in her ruthless red, romance.

Diane Miller · Jan 17, 2016

Gorgeous flight pose, but I'm afraid the IQ hit from the big crop shows. But I would expect it would hold up better with that body and lens. (But as before, you might be up against some atmospheric effects, too.) I'm also wondering about processing, as there is some odd color noise and some tonalities that are flatter than I would expect.

If you want, send me the raw file and I'll have a look at it. If you don't have a dropbox you can put it in my private dropbox; people can post there but no one but me can see anything there. Use an FTP client to go to ftp.sonic.net and go to the initial folder: /ftp/pub/users/elmiller/dropbox/. Let me know if you do, as I won't get a notification anything has been posted.

I've gotten some more frame-filling shots at the Cane Pools -- but that was several years ago. I'll have to go back and look at them; maybe they weren't as good as I remember...

Glennie -- nice words!!

Jim Keener · Jan 18, 2016

Thanks, Glennie and Diane. Wonderful feedback. Poetic and technical. Where else? Diane, I'll send you a raw file.

I'm finding this frustrating. With an effective focal length of 1000mm I'm still too far away to make the kind of shot I want. The Bernardo is more convenient to me, and I don't feel as if I need to stay overnight. But I can get closer at the Bosque. Well, the birds have to come closer in some areas.

Diane Miller · Jan 18, 2016

I'll check for the file.

I went back thru my files -- we did Bosque in 2010 -- didn't think it was that long ago. (And haven't made it back since.) I got some great shots from the crane pools with the 300 f/2.8 + 1.4X, and the humble 5D2. It's ALL about getting close. Will post one in Avian tomorrow night, after the last shot of the Red-tailed Juvie encounter that l can put up later tonight.

Today I found a wonderful Red-shouldered Hawk (I think) at a nearby "water reclamation facility" (read: sewer ponds), but at 800mm (400 DO II + 2X) and a crop to 30% of the full frame with the 7D2, the IQ just wasn't there. But now I know the tree -- will go back with the 600 + 1.4X and 2X and hope for a little better.

Posted it in the Avian: About Birds forum for ID confirmation, if you're curious.

I find it frustrating too!!