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Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest
jbsmithana


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Hidden Gem -- 1,000th Challenge! (Advanced Editing VII*)
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR
Location: Fir Island, Washington
Date: Dec 14, 2008
Aperture: F8
ISO: 400
Shutter: 1/1250
Galleries: Nature, Birds
Date Uploaded: Mar 8, 2009

This shot is part of one of the best series of Eagle shots I have ever taken. It is of the same group that produced my only ribbon and a PB for me. Shot in December of 2008 of an immature Bald Eagle who had taken a Snow Goose and was trying to keep it from other eagles. Although very successful in keeping it to himself, able to eat much of it while doing so, in this scene he had dropped the goose into the snow where it sank. In his rush to pull it out and fly off with it he only had hold of the entrails which pulled away leaving the body behind.

Convert in In Lightroom
Crop, Highlight Recovery, Black Clipping, Brightness, Contrast, Clarity, Vibrnace, Saturation, Curve Strong Contrast, Red Saturation boost, Split Tone, Save as TIFF

In PSE7
Autofix at 40%, Contrast 20, slight boost of red and yellow, increase brightness of eye, crop tighter, resize, USM at 200, .3, 3, Second USM Pass at 150, .2, 3, Add border to top and bottom of image, Save for Web

Statistics
Place: 43 out of 1129
Avg (all users): 6.6733
Avg (commenters): 7.7324
Avg (participants): 6.7014
Avg (non-participants): 6.5250
Views since voting: 1809
Views during voting: 723
Votes: 502
Comments: 75
Favorites: 5 (view)


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AuthorThread
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/17/2009 04:09:15 PM
This is so amazing - absolutely phenomenal
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/17/2009 03:21:08 PM
excellent capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/17/2009 11:36:58 AM
Wow, how you managed to capture this I'll never know. Great composition, great clarity, great action, what a moment!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/17/2009 09:08:39 AM
Awesome shot... love the extension in his wing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/17/2009 08:55:23 AM
Great detail on the eye and beak.
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03/17/2009 01:35:48 AM
Fantastic capture, great picture. 10
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03/16/2009 07:09:59 PM
Wow! An amazing capture with brilliant sharpness.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/16/2009 05:53:01 PM
very good...such detail and vivid colors...excellent
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03/16/2009 03:05:13 PM
Nice shot. Good action and detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/16/2009 12:45:32 PM
I like that you captured the shot with him so close to the ground.
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03/16/2009 10:58:32 AM
LUV LUV LUV IT! Such incredible clarity and natural color tones. Beautiful crop too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/16/2009 02:15:48 AM
well captured so crisp
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 11:03:02 PM
i can only begin to imagine what this looks like large. awesome shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 08:27:55 PM
Fantastic nature shot, savage yet beautiful..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 08:17:02 PM
Wow. Great capture. Perfect focus and color.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 07:10:41 PM
Awesome!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 07:05:15 PM
Perfect timing to pull the trigger. I came back to comment and fav
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 06:29:29 PM
Nice. Very forceful looking. DOF is great.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 04:58:18 PM
Great catch! Nice colors on the white background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 02:53:24 PM
Excellent catch!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 11:33:04 AM
great contrast against the white snow, you've got nice detail in this
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 10:32:19 AM
Very nice image. It's good to see a few "great" images. This is a perfect reflection of your abilities as a photographer.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 10:13:51 AM
Wonderful timing, very clear.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 09:38:53 AM
Great capture and the best by far of the (many) bird shots in the challenge. Not usually my favourite subject but this is hard to fault. 9. Well done and good luck for the rest of the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 07:01:42 AM
great capture - very unique
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 05:10:37 AM
perfect moment!
8
brano
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/15/2009 01:43:20 AM
There's a lot happening in this one, both in the scene and in the photographic e10ments. Very well edited as well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 11:52:15 PM
Great Capture
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 11:32:09 PM
Great shot - nice focus on head and wing. Can't figure out what is going on in the back part of the shot - whether this bird is injured, or if it is capturing something.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 08:08:49 PM
Excellent capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 05:31:52 PM
Beautiful capture of this juvenile eagle!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 03:40:24 PM
Great shot, love the border with it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 12:37:08 PM
great moment to catch, excellent compostion/crop
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 11:42:52 AM
Wow what timing. Excellent clarity and colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 08:29:03 AM
Stunning image. Just not so crazy about the framing and the very tight crop. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 04:58:32 AM
amazing action shot, really good
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 04:01:50 AM
Amazing capture, great lines to the bird to.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 12:27:35 AM
This is terrific. The feathers at the tip of the wings really contribute a feeling of power and speed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/14/2009 12:12:45 AM
Poignant. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 08:25:09 PM
Sweet capture! Very nice detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 07:50:26 PM
Magnificent bird. Not sure I want to know what's in his talons...Incredible how his wing is brushing the ground.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 03:43:17 PM
nice timing
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 03:31:29 PM
Great capture of the contrast background
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 03:22:45 PM
Brilliant shot! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 11:41:33 AM
Right place. Right time.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 10:09:16 AM
fantastic capture, love the full sweep of the wings
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 09:45:56 AM
Great capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 03:49:25 AM
Nice catch!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/13/2009 03:40:17 AM
I recall this from a while back when a similar shot did well. This is good but it does feel squashed by the border
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 08:43:07 PM
Well captured. The frame size difference is a little off putting to me. Great pic all the same.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 06:18:57 PM
one word.... WOW!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 05:30:34 PM
Oh, my. Another cruel nature shot. Very well executed, just hard for me to look at for very long.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 05:00:31 PM
I like that all areas of the bird are in crisp detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 03:26:24 PM
Voted earlier coming back to leave some comments. WoW and Wow! Absolutely LOVE the outstretched wings as it takes off - I see such beautiful detail in the feathers as it is taking flight. And it is not just the details of the wings but in the whole majestic bird: talons, beak, hunter eyes... Love how you captured an action shot that also tells us a story - The hawk has caught it's prey and has taken it's fill as it now takes flight to the skies again. A bloody display of Darwin's survival of the fittest. The snowy white backdrop really allows the bird to contrast quite nicely with it's environment. This is a beautiful shot and luck, persistence or both helped you get the shot. I gave up about a year ago to get a sharp as a tack photo of a hawk or eagle in flight, so hats off to you for this fabulous capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 03:20:54 PM
Excellent!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 03:08:50 PM
Amazing shot, congratulations!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 01:46:08 PM
beautiful 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 12:02:18 PM
wow great action photo
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 11:35:42 AM
Excellent capture along with its ribbon winning partner!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 07:59:17 AM
brilliant capture, crop just a little too tight IMO, 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/12/2009 06:02:24 AM
Good action grab
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03/11/2009 11:43:28 PM
stunning nature shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 09:31:54 PM
Wicked shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 08:17:55 PM
Awesome nature action shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 08:00:58 PM
Nicely done. Good title too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 05:59:59 PM
great shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 03:34:38 PM
Straight up 7 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 12:11:08 PM
Nice capture
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 12:11:01 PM
terrific
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 10:58:29 AM
This is one terrific image! I love the level of detail here and your timing is just perfect.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 10:18:19 AM
Wow, catching a shot like that must have taken a while. The composition and lines in this photo are really nice and I like seeing the details of the feathers in the bird.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 08:18:09 AM
Very nice detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 08:17:41 AM
Incredible detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 08:15:31 AM
Great photo - I like the painted quality.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/11/2009 01:01:29 AM
Amazing action shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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