Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: mjrichardson on March 29, 2009, 11:34:06 am

Title: Red Kites!
Post by: mjrichardson on March 29, 2009, 11:34:06 am

Hello.

I am not a wildlife photographer at all, don't have the kit here for it so don't usually bother! We have a lot of Red Kites hanging around camp at the moment, feeding off the scraps and sometimes getting brave enough to swoop down and take the food straight from your plate! Having seen the post about the Red Tail Hawks I thought I'd have a go at getting a shot.

Anyway, I only have a crappy 28-135mm zoom here so excuse the quality, this is not cropped so that should give an idea how close they get! Like I said, not really something I would bother with normally but quite like the way it came out.

Cheers.

Mat.

[attachment=12561:redkite.jpg]

Title: Red Kites!
Post by: mjrichardson on March 29, 2009, 12:02:52 pm

Just to add...

The other type of bird we get here is a Maribu Stork, huge great big things, stand up to 4ft tall, ugly as hell!

This came running in to grab something, with their wings out they are enormous!

Cheers.

Mat.

[attachment=12564:Maribu.jpg]

Title: Red Kites!
Post by: mjrichardson on March 29, 2009, 12:21:10 pm

Last one!

This is a bit soft but I liked the shape of the wings.

Cheers.

Mat

[attachment=12567:Maribu_2.jpg]

Title: Red Kites!
Post by: Roger Calixto on March 29, 2009, 12:58:46 pm

Well it looks like ample opportunity you have, so bank on it! Get some practice in on catching birds in flight and see if you can't get some nice take homes! I liked you hawk picture but the 2 storks were a little off for me. I'd try boosting the ISO so you can still the motion blur.

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KT

Title: Red Kites!
Post by: dalethorn on March 29, 2009, 04:58:09 pm

Quote from: mjrichardson

Hello.
I am not a wildlife photographer at all, don't have the kit here for it so don't usually bother! We have a lot of Red Kites hanging around camp at the moment, feeding off the scraps and sometimes getting brave enough to swoop down and take the food straight from your plate! Having seen the post about the Red Tail Hawks I thought I'd have a go at getting a shot.
Anyway, I only have a crappy 28-135mm zoom here so excuse the quality, this is not cropped so that should give an idea how close they get! Like I said, not really something I would bother with normally but quite like the way it came out.
Cheers.
Mat.
[attachment=12561:redkite.jpg]

This is proof you don't have to be a wildlife photographer to get a picture-postcard-perfect shot of a hawk in flight. Everything is clearly defined - eyes, beak, wings, tail, legs and feet. If I went to a hawk hangout it would take all day to get something this good. Or maybe several days.

Title: Red Kites!
Post by: Dick Roadnight on April 20, 2009, 01:27:47 pm

I am interested in birds-in flight, and I have a Novoflex with 400 and 640mm lens heads - thought about getting a D3X to use them with.

But I can use my CF 250 on the H3D11-50...

Birds in flight tend to have far too much contrast, so I am thinking of using my 4 Metz flash guns for fill-in.... pushing them down the cliff on drain rods for seagull photography.

There are lots of photos of seagulls, but a nice 50Mpx pic synchro-sunlit might sell - and what else would I do when we go to the seaside? (apart from photographing landscapes and harbours)?

And My Mum has Red kites on the Cotswolds, UK.