I don't know how you all do it. I saw a hawk for 2 seconds
Oct 13, 2017 07:07:53 #
My wife and I visited Boston last year at about this time of year. We walked up to Boston common and visited the large public garden adjacent to the Common. In the garden is a large equestrian statue of George Washington. Hang around there and you will probably see a Red-tailed hawk. Apparently there are several in the area which live and breed there. We watched and photographed one for about half an hour. Really good experience.
Oct 13, 2017 07:39:32 #
Patience! Go where they are,ospreys near water,hawks open fields etc,
Oct 13, 2017 07:45:00 #
Got lucky.
First shot came home from work and the Hawk was in my front yard. Ran inside grabbed my camera and long lens capture the shot.
Second shot was at the river looking for birds. Did not find much. As I was driving home along the river passed an osprey in a tree. Turned around pulled over captured the image.
Third one cost me a lot of money. My daughter and I went to Kruger South Africa in June on a safari.
First shot came home from work and the Hawk was in my front yard. Ran inside grabbed my camera and long lens capture the shot.
Second shot was at the river looking for birds. Did not find much. As I was driving home along the river passed an osprey in a tree. Turned around pulled over captured the image.
Third one cost me a lot of money. My daughter and I went to Kruger South Africa in June on a safari.
Oct 13, 2017 07:50:51 #
Hawks, Eagles, Owls and the likes:
1. Learn where they are and their eating routines. For example, eagles tend to hang out in the same tree on rivers to fish. Usually an hour and a half before sundown. They like trees about an 1/8 to a 1/4 mile from their nests.
2. Patience, Patience, Patience. Once you find sites where the birds tend to hang out, you may need to go there 3-4 times before you see the bird. Also if the birds are there, approach slowly and stay far away as your lens permits. I have waited 2+ hours to grab a good series of shots.
3. Tripod.
4.. Manual focus when the bird is stationary.
5. Anticipate the birds movement.
6. Use continous shooting mode (not continous AF, unless you have a great camera). Bursts of 3-11 pictures a second will usually yeild a few really good shots.
7. DO use software to compensate as needed.
8. Patience and luck are key.
Good Luck!
1. Learn where they are and their eating routines. For example, eagles tend to hang out in the same tree on rivers to fish. Usually an hour and a half before sundown. They like trees about an 1/8 to a 1/4 mile from their nests.
2. Patience, Patience, Patience. Once you find sites where the birds tend to hang out, you may need to go there 3-4 times before you see the bird. Also if the birds are there, approach slowly and stay far away as your lens permits. I have waited 2+ hours to grab a good series of shots.
3. Tripod.
4.. Manual focus when the bird is stationary.
5. Anticipate the birds movement.
6. Use continous shooting mode (not continous AF, unless you have a great camera). Bursts of 3-11 pictures a second will usually yeild a few really good shots.
7. DO use software to compensate as needed.
8. Patience and luck are key.
Good Luck!
Oct 13, 2017 07:53:32 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
GalaxyCat wrote:
I was in the woods, in a park called, "Stanley Ringer Park" (in Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and I saw briefly, a hawk fly by, and I was no where near my camera on a tripod, and I couldn't see where the hawk went. I have to wonder: how on earth do these people on this forum find such fantastic shots! I only saw a hawk for 2 seconds! And I searched and searched; never to see him again. Never mind pointing a camera at it!!! How do you do it?
Folks who get those GREAT shots have spend hours on Hawk behaviors. They know the best times a day when they are likely to be in the air, hunting, building a nest, etc. If everyone did it your way, there would be very few great shots. Read up on them, learn their habits, most hawks have a favorite perch to spot movement below them from, most have a specific territory, most have fairly regular flight paths they take most days. Like the boy scouts say, Plan your work and then work your plan.
Oct 13, 2017 08:37:19 #
Oct 13, 2017 08:43:30 #
You saw the hawk. They tend to stay within certain areas where they find food. Go back and watch it. Where does it came from and go to from where you saw it. Then you can probably find a better vantage point than where you saw it.
Oct 13, 2017 08:51:01 #
Most of mine are done from a tripod. But knowing your subject, the area, keeping clear lines of sight for the most probably chances to snap a shot in a short time span are all key to getting decent shots. And then, it is often a crapshoot! It is a matter of maximizing your opportunities.
Oct 13, 2017 09:07:22 #
It's sometimes 99.999% luck of the draw. I was outside my garage smoking a cigarette when this guy landed on my clothesline pole in the backyard. I had to sneak back in to get my camera without scaring it away and - first I took a couple pictures through the back door window to make sure I got some sort of picture, then I sneaked back outside moving as slowely as I could. Luckilly, It stayed there long enough for me to get a couple good pictures not through glass. Totally unexpected shot! ...
GalaxyCat wrote:
I was in the woods, in a park called, "Stanley Ringer Park" (in Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and I saw briefly, a hawk fly by, and I was no where near my camera on a tripod, and I couldn't see where the hawk went. I have to wonder: how on earth do these people on this forum find such fantastic shots! I only saw a hawk for 2 seconds! And I searched and searched; never to see him again. Never mind pointing a camera at it!!! How do you do it?
Oct 13, 2017 09:09:40 #
As has already been said: patience and luck! Plus, preparation. You've seen the finished results of others but you haven't seen all the missed shots or heard the vocabulary that often accompanies them! 
Oct 13, 2017 09:12:50 #
GalaxyCat wrote:
I was in the woods, in a park called, "Stanley Ringer Park" (in Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and I saw briefly, a hawk fly by, and I was no where near my camera on a tripod, and I couldn't see where the hawk went. I have to wonder: how on earth do these people on this forum find such fantastic shots! I only saw a hawk for 2 seconds! And I searched and searched; never to see him again. Never mind pointing a camera at it!!! How do you do it?
Patience, practice, and learn the birds' behavior patterns. Go where you know the birds are going to be - a rookery in breeding season is always a good bet.
Oct 13, 2017 09:25:33 #
Oct 13, 2017 09:27:14 #
The eagle picture with the fish is the eagle shooters dream. Nice shot. You got the golden grail. Love it.
Oct 13, 2017 09:35:59 #
Galaxy Cat The data you've lost on the cloud -- if you haven't recorded over the disc(s) in your computer it will still be there for recovery. In fact even if you have used the disc space it can be possible to retrieve some of the data. There are several recovery programmes available. If you have used the disc(s) since it may require a more specialised recovery programme but it is possible. I have known cases of data recovery from a disc that had been used with several Windows versions. Hence the disc had been formatted and new operating systems and programmes installed. Despite that the data could still be recovered from earlier setups.
Oct 13, 2017 09:40:18 #
The way it was explained to me many years ago was (and I know it may not sound helpful but it works) "when looking for a bird in a tree or forest look for the things that are not tree." It is sort of Zen, but, with practice, you start to eliminate much of what is in front of you and the birds just seem to suddenly pop out.
Of course it also helps to know your birds. For instance, hawks like to float on thermals. So you find them near ridges and above large multi lane highways (which create significant thermals.) All birds migrate, so knowing that warblers coming north in the spring can be found in predictable resting points after the long flight. Usually in an undeveloped area in the Piedmont (where the land starts to rise after they reach the continent.) You can find out a lot more by reading birding books. For hawks the best first (and possibly only) book is "Hawks in Flight" by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton.
Got this while shooting a marathon.
Of course it also helps to know your birds. For instance, hawks like to float on thermals. So you find them near ridges and above large multi lane highways (which create significant thermals.) All birds migrate, so knowing that warblers coming north in the spring can be found in predictable resting points after the long flight. Usually in an undeveloped area in the Piedmont (where the land starts to rise after they reach the continent.) You can find out a lot more by reading birding books. For hawks the best first (and possibly only) book is "Hawks in Flight" by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton.
Got this while shooting a marathon.
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