rangersteve

This is a thirteen picture series of a Red Tail Hawk hunting on the ground. This is the first time I have been able to get a fair photo (a little out of focus) of a hawk actively hunting on the ground. Mice usually run fairly fast when in the open and would be difficult to catch, but it appears that the hawk created a shadow cover with his wings and waited for the mouse to poke his head out to catch him. The hawk continued his hunt as I approached and gave me a satisfied look before he flew off with his dinner. The images were captured by a Nikon D810 with a Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 lens at 200mm f/5.6 - f/8 and at 1/125 - 1/250 sec.

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gwr Loc: South Dartmouth, Ma.

Nice series. 1-5 you got it mantling its prey. Solid proof as to why raptors are so important to the environment. Where was this? You have a lot more green in February than I have in my yard! Gary

rangersteve

Gary, This was Reno, Nevada in October. Not so green now.

meowmix Loc: Florida

Hi, I am pretty new to photography and just wondered why you didn't use a higher shutter speed, maybe 1/500 or 1/1000 and adjust the aperture and/or ISO accordingly? Great photos!

rangersteve

Good call Meowmix, and thanks for the comment. I saw the action and ran out the door with little time for preparation. It all took place in less than a minute, and I didn't have time to make things right. That's one reason it's a little out of focus. I have not yet become one with my camera, but it will happen!
Steve

meowmix Loc: Florida

Ahh, I am shooting only manual for everything, including focusing. It is a requirement in my photography program for this semester. I definitely understand and would not have caught even a decent photo if I had been you. I feel I miss so much trying to mess with the shutter speed, aperture, and sometimes focusing. I do understand the need for manual focus but I really think there are times when you need to use autofocus as well. I also get slowed down if I forget to change ISO when shooting in different conditions. People keep telling me I will become faster with time... well, I am ready whenever that is! How long have you been photographing?

Meow

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Nice series. It's always good to have a camera nearby.

meowmix Loc: Florida

By the way, I didn't think they were out of focus :) I thought the one with the mouse could have been frozen if you had used a higher shutter speed but thought maybe you used 1/250 for a specific reason. I am still in the very early learning stages of photography and appreciate all the feedback!

Meow

rangersteve

Meow, actually I have been shooting since 1969, but only film on old Pentax and Nikon until about a year and a half ago. With the new do everything cameras with auto focus, high resolution, high ISO and vibration reduction it's nice to have it do the work and clean it up in photoshop. Unfortunately when the camera does all the heavy lifting you give up artistic decisions regarding depth of field, stop motion, exposure etc. It's quick to let the camera do the work, but you can create the pictures you want if you learn to control the camera yourself. I'm just learning too.

Steve

meowmix Loc: Florida

I am told by many they feel they have become worse photographers since switching to digital. I can understand that, because not only does the camera do everything for you now, there's also no time or money wasted for snapping a picture digitally. I have been shooting with an old 4x5 and have a respect for film photographers I did not have before. I can't even imagine shooting all my pictures with that beast! Also, processing them is not my favorite thing to do. I sadly do not care for the darkroom, as I get terrible headaches. Even so, I do love seeing my work come to life. I think I still prefer to shoot digitally for various reasons, mainly because of convenience though. Thanks for the information!

rangersteve

I agree meowmix. I don't think it's the artistic medium that is important. Photo, paint, watercolor, sculpture or film, no matter. It's what you have to say with the medium you are using that is important. I had an uncle who was a renown artist in California. I once visited his studio and saw that he had repainted the same image a dozen times, each slightly different. I asked him why, and he said he had an idea and he was trying to express it fully on the canvas. He destroyed all the paintings that did not completely express his thought. The digital camera allows us to do the same, but if you allow the camera to make decisions for you, you give up creativity. To me, the camera is just a tool, and knowing how fully use the capacity of the tool in all situations is important, but capturing your vision in a final product that expresses your vision is the goal. At least to me. I love digital.
Steve

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Great series---thanks!

Tikva Loc: Waukesha, WI

Excellent series. Looks like he is a good hunter.

rangersteve

I'm always happy to see him Tikva. He came by again today and let me approach to minimum focus distance with my Nikkor 80-200. After getting quite a few good photos, I left him to continue his good work. I'll post a few of the new photos below.

EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace

That may be but I wish I could have had a digital camera when I was in the Air Force stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii from 1965 to 1968. I had my Exakta VXIIA and, because of the cost of film and processing, I have about 900 slides. If I had a digital camera it would have been more like 9,000 or more.