Red Kites

Darren Turner

XProPhotographer
5475622259_f1625265ea_b.jpg


5476219208_635c70a741_b.jpg


Taken at "Nant yr Arian Centre" near Aberystwyth

As well as the scenery, the main attraction has to be the Red Kite.

Red Kite Feeding sessions are held across the lake all year round, at 2.00pm in the winter and 3.00pm in the summer. During the winter months, you can see up to a hundred kites reeling around and even in summer, they number up to 40

There are also resident pairs of kites in the area so the chances of seeing this once rare bird of prey are very high at any time.

You can also see Buzzards and Ravens here, as well as the occasional Peregrine Falcon or Goshawk.

(dark grey skies, poor light & high iso didn't help me get a better quality pic)
 
Birds in flight can be tricky, even more so when the light is poor and the skies are dull, but you've done well here Darren.
After your last ones I said you'd get better ones next time and it looks like I was right, and I think if you can get there when the sun is shining with a blue sky you'll get even better ones I'm sure...
 
not so sure about the first one, i think the red and purple colour shift on the wings ruins it (obviously not your doing) and the light isn't quite right ...
the second one though is better in every respect, the light is really good - a bit of warmth from the sun seems to have caught the bird which works well against the dark sky and makes a lot of the tones of the feathers ... no colour shift at all ... and compositionally in a completely different class to the first one.
if someone asked me if these 2 images were taken by the same person, if i didnt know better id say no way...
i dont rate the first one at all, but the second one ... as someone who knows little about this sort of photography ... is say is exceptionally good ... it even doesn't have those things on its wings in the second one!
 
look Hamish you should think you self lucky they are half in focus never mind worrying about colour shift..these are best 2 out of 16GB of Raws.........embarrassingly.........lol

yes glen i agree next trip will be a clear blue sunny day for sure........that bit of sun that came out for 5 mins at end of day made a big difference to the under lighting of the birds.

I WILL try again..........lol

Daz
 
look Hamish you should think you self lucky they are half in focus never mind worrying about colour shift..these are best 2 out of 16GB of Raws.........embarrassingly.........lol

I wouldn't be embarrassed ... i certainly cant do that sort of photography ... it stresses me right out and i give up
the point i was really trying to get across is that the second of the 2 is a very very good photo in my books ... and this sort of thing often doesn't do a lot for me

I WILL try again..........lol

Daz

just do what you did for the second photo ;)
 
And the composition works well in the second. Actually I guess your success rate is pretty typical for this type of photography when you think of the weeks nature cameramen spend filming things like monkeys in the jungle just to get a few seconds of footage for a wildlife documentary!
 
And the composition works well in the second. Actually I guess your success rate is pretty typical for this type of photography when you think of the weeks nature cameramen spend filming things like monkeys in the jungle just to get a few seconds of footage for a wildlife documentary!

i completely agree...
if it was easy enough to get a good shot in one shot then this would be a different hobby altogether
 
Like the lighting in #2 - nice warmth and really shows the detail in the feathers.

How did you have the camera set-up Darren?
 
hey, im worried if i have offended you Darren ... Hannah says i have a big gob ... :)
if i do offend anyone feel free to tell me ... don't beat around the bush like ... i probably need telling!
 
Nah Hamish you cant offend me if ya tried am too chilled out kinda guy, Lauries been trying for years & failed.........haha
(plus if you did ever manage to offend me i would hack & close do ya forum permanently LMAO)

As for set up i had it in Aperture Priority & F5 ish& let cam choose shutter speed as am crap with thing like this, also on Al Servo tracking & 9 point focus squares.

Daz
 
Back
Top