Critique Spar (female sparrowhawk) Hedge hunting acipter nisus

Stuart Philpott

Stuart Philpott

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Stu
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Sometime early this year we had gone out at dawn and we walking through a nature reserve. Light was stunning I had just checked me camera techs. out of the corner of my eye I spotted a bird for half a second approaching from behind a hawthorn bush too dense to really see through,I id'd crow and stood motionless as a sparrow hawk baked right in front of me and have kicked myself ever since.

Yesterday out early in the snow,sun's up it's damn bright have plenty of ss saw charlie a couple of times,but no chance of stalking. So i'm wandering looking for the roe and maybe a hare. Waliking a thick old hedge which seems to be a favourite place for game to sit and chill I spot this tiny flask through the hedge ,just the briefest glimpse of an underwing. That past chance will long haunt me it was a blinder and they are all too few. I knew this time and all but threw the camera at the object hurtling down the hedge. There was just the briefist window when she apreared and then was gone, i got three or four frames off ,only in the first was she clear of the hedge. for my part I half wish someone would have seen this,not because of the image ,but just to be laughing at me as I grabbed for this image,spinning almost like a top in wet snow I was a whisker from ending up on me butt I must have looked so funny she actually came back for a more distant look .

i'm not really a confident guy,spending a lot of money on these toys fill me with self doubt...ya know.... did I do the right thing all that stuff,did I even buy the right tool for me?? This DO is a bit of a niche lens,but I don't think i'd have this image without it,Simply the balance and handling are so good it is so light I honestly don't think my old lens would have moved quick enough in my hands. The image is cropped due to my poor framing a real shame but hey it's better than nowt

That's the thing with this game we spend hours and hours trying ,then one gets that split second chance and it's back to hours of nowt. Really nice to not get a complete blank here room for improvement sure

Canon 1div 400DOis ii 1.4 ext iii 1/5000 f7.1 iso 1000 (first time me ss has been higher than me iso in yonks !!!)

https://flic.kr/p/21TiLyQ

HNY

stu
 
That’s a great capture Stu and knowing how fast they travel you really have done well :)
 
Cracking shot!!
 
An absolutely stunning shot Stu that doesn't come along everyday. You've done a superb job of capturing, what we all know is, a very fast flying bird, well dome mate (y)(y)

I'd post the shot up instead of the link though Stu, a lot of folks won't click through, it'll be a shame for them to miss out on such a cracking shot :)
 
Theres not much in that to not like tbh....
If that was a real spray n pray, then even better....
 
Dave Semmens said:
Excellent capture Stu - I was lucky enough to get a shot of one last year, but it isn't as good as yours :)
Click to expand...

Oh mate I remember it and I suspect you won knowing you bro:D,not like we are competing at all Davey just back at you tis all;) It was a fine image showing the underside if I remember correctly taken with your 500Hh and a young bird. it had to be good bro I've remembered it and you know I can't remember me own name most of the time

cheers for the words though kiddo very kind coming from you......had a brief look at your flickr recently mate you're still killing it:cool: ,


Hertsman said:
Theres not much in that to not like tbh....
If that was a real spray n pray, then even better....
Click to expand...


Well it's a real wild bird if that's what you mean by a real spray and prey Mark:) A split second id and me moving before I could see the bird and one damn lucky frame.....the first at that.

A lens up focus press in a spit sec and def me nearly ending up an me butt,not sure whether I got any words out to the almighty though :oops: :$ . Mind six goldies popped up from behind a hedge holding up cards with a six on ,ok one gave me a four (bast*rd we wont talk about him) so the pirouette and recovery must have been cool:D

Mark it is what it is I'm too dumb to try and pull the wool and simply wouldn't anyway,be aware I'm not in any way offended here Just being sure Mark words get confused in webland especially it seems with birds I may not have completely understood your post could you explain that bit for me


. Frankly mate I'll take the split second ID and own that bit,but the image all credit to the gear.

I sort of wonder if the face could be sharper if I'm honest Mark I'm pretty brutal on my images tis the only way to improve. But yeah I'm chuffed :)next time might be a long time coming and as above at least I reacted this time.









To get something even approaching this with a new toy so soon is pretty cool though I'm not saying image is perfect but I'm chuffed to say the least


Phil-D said:
An absolutely stunning shot Stu that doesn't come along everyday. You've done a superb job of capturing, what we all know is, a very fast flying bird, well dome mate (y)(y)

I'd post the shot up instead of the link though Stu, a lot of folks won't click through, it'll be a shame for them to miss out on such a cracking shot :)
Click to expand...


Phil I have a new PC my lad's built it ,it's way more up to date cheers for picking up on the link. My normal way is failing i'm not copying something in flicky correctly that gives me an image here on talk Any advice gratefully recieved . I'm really grateful Phil, I felt that maybe I was getting the link and you guys could see said pic,so it's something i'd like to put right now rather than later. if you can help. The code didn't look like they normally do Phil,but I'm so inept with pc's I felt things were ok

Phil cheers for the extremely kind words above I kind of think of you and Mike Davey et al (etc etc) making images like this it was a bit of a shock coming home and seeing it. I knew I was damn close at the time I knew I had her in the viewfinder un cut,but it was so fast. I was really shocked that I only had one fame mate, of her clear of the hedge . but as you say they motor plus she was working the wind


Gill Adam thank you both bit of luck here guys,but I guess I can say if you keep trying and keep trying sooner or late the odds have to be in your favour,I tell myself this alot guys,another blank today not even a shutter press. I think it's important to have that mindset that one might just get lucky today and even then if the image is more than you hoped for to still look for what could be improved

cheers all have the best new year
 
Stuart - thats flipping awesome given the situation, stop looking for reasons its not !

Id me made up if that was mine....
 
Thanks Stu - As with you I got 3 or 4 shots as the action was overin a few seconds. The shot I wanted to be sharp was slightly soft. It was the frame before the one I used in the end and had the head illuminated.

Yours has that beautiful catchlight that we all dream of :)
 
Great capture mate glad you are enjoying new lens.
 
Hertsman said:
Stuart - thats flipping awesome given the situation, stop looking for reasons its not !

Id me made up if that was mine....
Click to expand...


Bro don't worry I'm stoked with this genuinely thrilled.;) I'm not knocking this so much as trying to learn what I can from it, hence the crit moniker up top which so oft features when I post. I also keep a smile on my face mate have the devils own sense of humour can't help but wish others are smiling to ,we need joy in the world dude. :D but besaide the clown is someone very quietly want to do this and not be doing what I do for the rest of my days

Mark I'm around two years in i'm learning very very slowly how to do this. I can't process to the ability I want yet ,infact you are basically looking at a raw conversion . I honestly believe there is more to be had from this individual frame ,plus the comments might help me be better next time in the field When guys that do it talk little things probably not even thought about come out I steal them :)I can apply next time

Mark I am deeply unsure about IQ,my evaluation of it sharpness especially with ,wildlife( it has to be sharp leastways the right places huh). So i'm always going to ask if this is sharp enough on the head,because simply bro at this time I am unsure of my abilities. I think this is because for two years now i've watched others share with me what a polished finsihed image can look like. that I've made. . Mate I haven't been able to take a single file from start to fin,so I can't say oh this raw at iso 5000 is gonna look wicked(sharp great IQ bla de bla) when I have processed it


I've very very lucky Mark there are a few very talented guys out there whom seem tireless in their effort to help me be as good as I can be,not better than others mate,just my best.i'm chronically slow with this digital world bro,all but special needs so i'm apt to laugh at myself. i've just got me 16bit tiff into PS for the first time and for hours hit a wall, I know roughly what I want to do buuut:banghead::D:D:D:D:D

den said:
Good capture Stu...
_70F4463 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr
Click to expand...


Den me old mate, my apologies, I haven't missed you I need to stare with fresh eyes ,you have done something I believe??

I'm unsure as to one or two edits or a double post Den ??

,Mate please forgive will ask on the morrow my eyes are shot from swearing at ps, erm sorry,;) from the bloody wind has been evil here mate !! I'm trying to put in the hours in the field while no work. Buddy if you have done something and I'm sure that face is sharper,cheers mate that is very kind I know post isn't really your thing either



Rich your old girl (1Div) might not be as fast as the latest models which frankly I covet.......... but she's no slouch either:) It's difficult to articulate this lens mate the 300 isn't heavy but you don't know this DO is there,just occassionally that turns into a bit of luck huh

I don't think after two years of getting to know my 300 I could have moved it fast enough Rich it must be milliseconds of difference between a bit of luck and a nice blurry birdie behind a bush
Dave Semmens said:
Thanks Stu - As with you I got 3 or 4 shots as the action was overin a few seconds. The shot I wanted to be sharp was slightly soft. It was the frame before the one I used in the end and had the head illuminated.

Yours has that beautiful catchlight that we all dream of :)
Click to expand...
Bless ya buddy:D one day I'll know how to put those things in Davey catchlights and thingies;) This ones definitely the real deal though buddy I haven't a clue................ two hours spent trying to draw a line round a bird, in PS I can blummin draw the damn thing on me own easier give me a pencil,ye gads buddy UGG

. I'll get there Davey only one way to learn this bang it in, the hard way

Thanks for all the comments guys after all the graft that went into buying that lens to get something like this charlie and bambi already is sort of lovely
have a great new year all:)

stu
 
Nicely done Stu, I've missed a few of these as they have quietly flashed through in front of me!
 
den said:
Just posted a direct link for you from your Flickr Stu as i t5hought you were strugling to get it on the thread ......
Click to expand...


Yes Den I was struggling thank you very much :D I think i'm some how loading the wrong code ,i'll sort it

many thanks
gramps said:
Nicely done Stu, I've missed a few of these as they have quietly flashed through in front of me!
Click to expand...
They taunt us buddy.:D So little time roger that's the thing they aren't an uncommon bird,but getting one in flight hunting tis luck bro she could so easily have gone past me unseen or no break in the hedge. I am pretty sure I saw her a couple of days back shouldn't think there are two females hunting in that area certainly the male does the garden birds. But trying to predict where one might be is no easy thing ,well it's beyond me anyways

take care both

stu
 
Dale. said:
Stu, awesome work, that isn't easy.
Click to expand...
happy new one Dale shoot straight bro.

Bit of luck mate what can I say:) Frankly thought I'd got old Dale, I used to have fast hands and reactions,seems like there might be a bit left after all:whistle:

cheers buddy

stu
 
I have a new PC which means I can now start to work out what photoshop can do for me image making exploits,so here's a re post of the same image with basically some sharpening tweaks,real early days with regards to ps,but to me an improvement over the image above ...WDYT???

HNY

Stu

_70F4463 by Stuart Philpott, on Flickr
 
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