Culling

Harryb

Hi Y'all,

I just got around to finishing my post work on the eagles shots I got last month. It wasn't easy. I took close to 500 eagle shots that day and I have always felt that any eagle capture was a good capture.

I ended up culling (deleting) out 300 of the shots, each one was an agonizing decision. :uhoh Of the 200+ remaining shots I ended up processing around 70-80 of them. Its much easier to cull out egret and heron shots.

Anyhow here's a few of the last shots I processed. You can see my bald eagle gallery here http://behret.smugmug.com/gallery/424317

Dick on Aruba

Wow Harry, a lot of very nice captures in your gallery. Good work and thanks for sharing.

Dick.

kdog

Holy cow, Harry. That's one big swoop of fine eagle shots! :eek1

Are those all taken in Florida? Are they around all year? I was thinking I might have to go to Alaska to shoot eagles, but now I'm thinking maybe Florida might be better. Work on my tan, and shoot eagles. Sounds pretty good to me.

I perused the rest of your eagle gallery is well. Fabulous shots, all of them.

Cheers,
-joel

Rohirrim

Neat set Harry. Must have been a great experience to be able to get that close to such a beautiful bird.

bfjr

excellent gallery

ebwest

Great shots and great gallery. You and the Bird Man make me want to throw my gear away, but I won't.

Harryb

D200-D70 wrote:

Wow Harry, a lot of very nice captures in your gallery. Good work and thanks for sharing.

Dick.

Thanks Dick.

Nikolai

I know the feeling
When you just get one-two shots by some luck, you look at them, like them, process them, publish them and honestly think they are as good as they can be (which is, in fact, true, since there are no others:-)

However, if you are given an opportunity to shoot the same scene for an extended period of time, you end up with hundreds of pictures, most of them probably being much better that those fist couple mentioned above - and now the hardship of choice comes.. Decisions, decisions...

And did I mention that I love your pictures?
Great work! I would be proud if I could have one of them in my own portfolio..

Cheers!

Thusie

Wonderful work Harry, culling must have been hell.

John Mueller

Ill take the leftovers Harry:D
Wonderful captures!

ginger_55

Wonderful, Harry!

Send John the leftovers, you have the originals, then send me the BIRDS!

please, ginger

Harryb

kdog wrote:

Holy cow, Harry. That's one big swoop of fine eagle shots! :eek1

Are those all taken in Florida? Are they around all year? I was thinking I might have to go to Alaska to shoot eagles, but now I'm thinking maybe Florida might be better. Work on my tan, and shoot eagles. Sounds pretty good to me.

I perused the rest of your eagle gallery is well. Fabulous shots, all of them.

Cheers,
-joel

Thanks Joel. They were all taken in Florida. The eagles are seasonal. They will migrate out the last quarter of the year and return around 4 months later.

Getting eagle shots in Florida is problematical. I was lucky for awhile because they had a nest in the Viera Wetlands. Then an owl chased them off and took over the nest. Now their visits to the Wetlands are much less frequent. The eagles at Merritt Island are usually a good hike away and will spook once you get within 59 yards of them.

These shots were taken at a spot that I was sworn to keep secret and it was tough to get them in a "natural" setting there anyhow. Personally I prefer the eagle shots I've seen from Washington and Alaska. They settings are better and the action is better too.

kdog

Thanks for the info, Harry. That was a surprising story about the owl chasing eagles away from their nest. I'd figure the eagles were the top of the aviarian food chain. You've certainly done the best with the opportunities you had.

This is my first year with an SLR, and the first year I found out about the Hudson River eagles. And even then, I'd only found them near the end of the season. Next year I'm going to be prepared.

Cheers,
-joel

Osprey Whisperer

Nice series Harry. 500 shots? Wow....did that shutter release stick on that Nikon? Why throw any images out? Just buy more storage space.

Ric Grupe

I wish I had your problem!

Anyway, this shot was particularly interesting to me, in that, I don't think I've ever seen a shot of a Baldy that displayed the vulnerability of inquisitiveness that this shot clearly shows.



Thanks, Harry.

ginger_55

I like the inquisitive Eagle, too!

However, I have been waiting for my shipment of Eagles ever since reading this and posting, yesterday!

My townhouse backyard should suit well!

ginger

Harryb

Rohirrim wrote:

Neat set Harry. Must have been a great experience to be able to get that close to such a beautiful bird.

Thanks Steve. The locale was not the best but viewing the eagles was fantastic.

Harryb

bfjr wrote:

excellent gallery

Thanks Ben.

DoctorIt

Anyone see that thing on Comedy Central about the Alaskan town with the Bald Eagle problem? As in, too many of them!?

Harry, do you have an "eagle-beating cane" when you go to this spot?



(great set, i can imagine how hard it was to pick favorites )

Harryb

ebwest wrote:

Great shots and great gallery. You and the Bird Man make me want to throw my gear away, but I won't.

Thanks EB. I knew you wouldn't throw away your camera.

Harryb

Nikolai wrote:

When you just get one-two shots by some luck, you look at them, like them, process them, publish them and honestly think they are as good as they can be (which is, in fact, true, since there are no others:-)

However, if you are given an opportunity to shoot the same scene for an extended period of time, you end up with hundreds of pictures, most of them probably being much better that those fist couple mentioned above - and now the hardship of choice comes.. Decisions, decisions...

And did I mention that I love your pictures?
Great work! I would be proud if I could have one of them in my own portfolio..

Cheers!

Thanks Nikolai. One of the biggest change sin my photography is the % of my culls. Once I would only delete the very worst shots (maybe 10%). Now I cull out most of my shots, around 70-80%.

Nikolai

That's the beauty of having digital camera:-)

Harryb wrote:

Thanks Nikolai. One of the biggest change sin my photography is the % of my culls. Once I would only delete the very worst shots (maybe 10%). Now I cull out most of my shots, around 70-80%.

Now we have the luxury to shoot first, shoot as many as your card allows and a little later, when the excitement is over but you still remember the primary goals, sit back and patiently go over them to select only the best.
I mean - you could do this with film, too, but... Just to think, how much time, film and chemicals would be waisted on developing and printing the proofs of a regular 100-something shots session (which is, by today measures, a very brief one).. And the post-processing... Ouch..

Harryb

Thank you Thusie, John, Ginger, Mike, Rick and Erik.

No eagles will be mailed Ginger, you have to get out there and find them.

I'm off to spend a few days with Linda in St. Augustine. I'll be back some time Sunday PM. Please let's limit, the tree rats, squirrels, gulls, and cute puppy and kitty shots in my absence.

ginger_55

One reason I keep fewer shots is that I have so many of the same thing. I don't even take as many shots as I think "my gosh, do I really need another standing Egret/Heron/bird shot".

What was exciting the first time has become repetitive.

It is not that I am better, as much as I have been there and done that, may times.

ginger (frozen in time today, plus, have things changed that much at the Pitt Street Bridge, ?)

No eagles in the mail? I bet the California group would have sent me one, at least!

Have a good trip!