The Nature, Wildlife and Pet Photography Forum - Fine Art Landscape Photography
Eagle Shots
Posted By: Guideboat
Eagle Shots - 12/13/07 04:45 AM
I managed to find these two eagles sharing a branch at dusk along the Delaware River, cludy day. Shots were at 300 plus yards, 1250 ISO Canon 1D Mark 3 tripod with Jobu mount f 5.6, 1/160". For sharper shots I believe I should have used the cable release but time was short. The one in flight needed a faster shutter speed.
Hey Don,
Welcome aboard. What a nice opportunity to see two eagles like this. They release them here in the City every couple of y ears (usually, sets of 4, I think). They get large enough and then move to New Jersey. :P
James
Posted By: Guideboat
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/13/07 02:56 PM
These I think are probably part of the groups which winter in the upper Delaware north of Port Jervis from locations further to the north. The distance and low light conditions were the challenge. Here is the one in flight I refered to in the original post.
Posted By: Randall
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/13/07 10:46 PM
Nice shots , what lens were you useing
randall
Posted By: Guideboat
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 02:35 AM
I was using the Canon 500 mm f/4 L with a Canon 1.4x teleextender
Posted By: DavidRamey
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 07:25 AM
When I go to Homer in February, I will be using an 18-70mm to photograph Eagles.
Posted By: glamson
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 08:25 AM
Quote:
When I go to Homer in February, I will be using an 18-70mm to photograph Eagles.
OK, we're jealous.
BTW: Just how many hours of sunlight will you have to shoot the eagles in February? And what will the temp be?
I'll be stuck in February in San Diego in shorts and a tee shirt shooting the birds that have migrated south from Alaska for the winter. LOL 
Posted By: DavidRamey
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 04:47 PM
Homer is 75 miles south of where I live. I go there the last week of February. Last year I photographed the Eagles from 9am until about 6 pm. The temps last year were around 20 -30F with a cold wind blowing about 20 - 30mph. This next year we are going down the last week of February and photograph the Eagles, then going up to Willow to photograph the Iditarod Dog Sled Race the first weekend in March, then on up to Fairbanks to photograph the Northern Lights. Fairbanks will be shorter hours of daylight and probably 0-20F. We will be nocturnal in Fairbanks as we will be shooting after dark. If we have time, we may stop at Delta Junction to photograph the last wild herd of Bison in the USA. For the Bison shoot, I want it to be cold and the wind blowing snow for the photograph I want. I have a friend from Houston Texas that comes up every year to photograph the Eagles. He leaves Houston in shorts and T shirt and arrives in Anchorage looking like the Michelin Man. LOL
Posted By: glamson
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 08:05 PM
Quote:
Homer is 75 miles south of where I live. I go there the last week of February. Last year I photographed the Eagles from 9am until about 6 pm. The temps last year were around 20 -30F with a cold wind blowing about 20 - 30mph. This next year we are going down the last week of February and photograph the Eagles, then going up to Willow to photograph the Iditarod Dog Sled Race the first weekend in March, then on up to Fairbanks to photograph the Northern Lights. Fairbanks will be shorter hours of daylight and probably 0-20F. We will be nocturnal in Fairbanks as we will be shooting after dark. If we have time, we may stop at Delta Junction to photograph the last wild herd of Bison in the USA. For the Bison shoot, I want it to be cold and the wind blowing snow for the photograph I want. I have a friend from Houston Texas that comes up every year to photograph the Eagles. He leaves Houston in shorts and T shirt and arrives in Anchorage looking like the Michelin Man. LOL
Dave,
You're killing me. One of my goals in life is to get up to the artic circle to see/shoot the aurora. While I don't think I'm tough enough to live in Alaska, I think I could tough it out for a two week winter visit one year. Maybe next year I'll give it a try.
Geo
Posted By: Tony Bynum
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 08:26 PM
I'd love to come up and shoot those eagles too that would be fun!
Posted By: DavidRamey
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/14/07 09:41 PM
You are both welcome to come up here to photograph. The best time for the Eagles are from Mid Feb to mid March. That is the time when the sun and wind is right for the classic Eagle flying shot with the Blue Sky background and Jeanne is still feeding the Eagles. For the Northern Lights, spend a week in Fairbanks anytime in the Winter. WARNING!! Fairbanks in the winter can be -55F. For my cameras, I am building an external power supply using an 8 volt gel cell battery with a 5AH rating. It should give me about 8 - 10 shooting hours at the sub zero temps.
If anybody wants to come up here to photograph the Eagles, make your plans because Jeanne may stop feeding the Eagles any year now and by law she has to stop feeding them in 2010. This photo op will only exist for 2 more years.
Posted By: Guideboat
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/15/07 02:47 AM
David, I am also jealous of being able to photograph eagles with such a close lens, however, as winter gets along in the lower Hudson valley and Delaware Valley the population increases and opportunitities are on the rise. Yet nothing like what you have in Alaska. You do with what you have at the time is my mantra. Oh and the temps were in the 40's not -40's. Don
Posted By: DavidRamey
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/15/07 03:24 AM
I agree, you shoot with what you have. Most of my Eagle shots are done with my 300mm or my 80-200mm if I want to get a single Eagle (hard to do at the Homer Spit). This year I am going to take a wide angle photo with about 100 Eagles on the beach.
Last week the temps here were in the 30-40F but this week they are in the 20F. I live in Soldotna, not Fairbanks (500 miles to the north). Fairbanks is where it gets cold.
Posted By: Guideboat
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/15/07 05:16 AM
These two eagles were hanging out beneath an eastern facing 200' cliff at dusk across the river. Not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. I'm originally from the Adirondack Mtn's, so we are not strangers to COLD! temperatures, -40 is not unheard of in the Adirondacks. I have several friends in the USCG who are from Alaska. Definitely one of those places I have to visit. Its also the only place with an AFB named after our family. Don
Posted By: DavidRamey
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/15/07 08:14 AM
I grew up in Ohio where I have seen it get to -20F, when I came to Alaska, I never went back to Ohio. The winter weather here in Soldotna is about the same as Ohio, just a couple of months longer.
Posted By: Ronn Stacy
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/20/07 07:55 PM
Hi David, I just had a look at your website. Some nice shots of my old haunts ! I spent 25years in Alaska... now refined to the less civilized Bay Area of California. I miss home. :-(
Posted By: DavidRamey
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/20/07 09:17 PM
I left Alaska for 5 years and I will never do that again.
Posted By: Ronn Stacy
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/21/07 08:35 PM
I hear ya.......... during my 25 years I left for about year or year or so couple different times. Always came back.......... plan to again in fact but likely not full time for personal reasons. Alaska will always be home to me though.
Posted By: Predator
Re: Eagle Shots - 12/24/07 09:02 AM
This is my eagle shot from last month.
As seen at the St. John's River in Florida
