Re: [Leica] Work in progress: Cooper's Hawk

[Jerry Lehrer <jerryleh@pacbell.net>]

Doug

Very nice!

As I write this there is a large hawk perched on my back fence rail, looking
for some tasty dove for breakfast.  My daughter has several bird feeders
set up on the back 40.

I hope to get a pic of him as soon as I set up my 500mm mirror lens
and the Leica R4 which (thanks to you) is a perfect match.

Jerry


Doug Herr wrote:

> Two versions of the same bird; I posted the first photo a while back,
> describing it as a work in progress:
>
>  http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/coha01.jpg
>
> The second photo:
>
>  http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/coha02.jpg
>
> I like the detail of the first version, and I prefer the composition of the
> 2nd. What makes the composition better for me:
>
> ) there's more tonal and color contrast between the hawk and background
> ) the background isn't as busy, while still suggesting the bird's forest
> habitat
> ) the rim of light from the backlighting accentuates the separation of the
> hawk from the background.
>
> In each photo I used the old Leitz 560mm f/5.6 Telyt, Leicaflex SL and a
> Kodachrome film. These are both quick scans so don't judge the color quality
> too much from these files. My Tiltall tripod isn't as sturdy as it ought to
> be to handle this lens, so I think the next time I have some spare bucks it
> will go toward a heftier tripod (ugh!) and ball head. Shutter speeds were
> abysmally slow, 1/15 and 1/8 sec, respectively, @ f/5.6, so for each
> exposure I pre-released the SL's mirror and used the self-timer to minimize
> vibrations. For the 2nd photo I was glad to have a lens that doesn't flare
> readily.
>
> I had been looking for this hawk's nest for several years and finally found
> it this year as the young were preparing to leave the nest. Next spring I'll
> know where to look.
>
> Comments are always welcome.
>
> Doug Herr
> Birdman of Sacramento
> http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>
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