An outing with friends at the Dam.

[PGB]

Went shooting with Flew and Greg today to Guntersville Dam. Here are a few, ok many that I came away with. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks,

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[Flew]

Patrick,

These are awesome. I love every one, but the Eagle just gives me goose bumps. :wink:

I enjoyed our day of shooting. We all needed the break. :smile:

 

[Leigh]

i see you just snuck that eagle in....

wow, i guess that was worth getting up at the crack of dawn after all. glad you and the guys had fun.

 

[drueter]

Beautiful shots, Patrick!! GBH & Eagle in the same spot?!?!? Wow, what a wonderful place to shoot!

 

[MontyDog]

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[Ken-L]

These are great shots Patrick!

I don't know how you do it, I can't even get a bluejay to stop and pose for me.

 

[Keith]

You lucky dog, first of all a wife that cheers you on :biggrin: secondly come home with these awesome shots Patrick. First several pics Im thinking same bird, frozin in same pose and you are just changing backgrounds LOL!!! great shots, the whole series for that matter!!

 

[mike mac]

How many times can one say WOW these are incredible. The eagle must have been such a thrill.

 

[bfjr]

I'm on board with everyone else, excellent work
but seeing an Eagle in the wild let alone being able to shot it, WOW !!

 

[dmwphoto]

these are fabulous and I bet you guys had a ball.
dave

 

[Gale]

OMG an Eagle......wowowowow goood for you. How exciting.....

All wnderful images Patrick..

Way to go.

good job.

 

[PGB]

Thanks everyone! I did enjoy my little outing. I had a blast and am pretty sunburned too. I was so excited as today was probably the nicest day weather wise in several months that I forgot to pack sunblock.

Paul, I'll dig out the exif info tomorrow. I shot all with the D2x 300f4 and 1.4tc. I pretty sure all were done in full 12mp.

Yes, the Eagle was a pleasant surprise. There are active nests in the area near the dam that Frank and I posted about earlier in the year. I had thought they would have moved on to other parts of the country but am glad they have stayed around.

Later in the day we got some Osprey shots which I'll PP tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone. It was a good day shooting but that wasn't as good as being out with friends who also enjoy photography.

Regards,

 

[Gordon Large]

Hey Patrick -

Three comments. (1) Great shots, as usual. (2) You and flew continue to make me insanely jealous. (3) Really a question - How did you train all these guys (except for the eagle) to fly in a straight line past you exactly at camera level?

Gordon

 

[dbirdsong]

That eagle shot is great.. well so are the rest :smile:

 

[daodang]

Magnificient pictures, Patrick!!!!. You see me jealous to be near such a great place.
If possible, could you detail a bit your tracking technique?. On the late, I was praticing tracking with small birds and even butterflies (that's all I have near home) but it's quite frustrating. Thanks in advance.

 

[james thiel]

Patrick these are so good. You really know how to make that camera sing.

 

[greyflash]

Patrick these are some great shots. It's like you guys have these birds trained to fly all around you. Nice color, composition, and sharpness. Great day was had by all from what I can see.

 

[Flew]

Patrick these are some great shots. It's like you guys have these birds trained to fly all around you. Nice color, composition, and sharpness. Great day was had by all from what I can see.

Gordon,

I agree that these are great pics, but they definitely ain't trained. We stood out in the hot sun for 6 1/2 hours to get these shots. Of course, in Patrick's case, it's the first time that he's been out shooting in almost two months. Not bad, huh? :wink:

 

[cknight]

Nice shots Patrick. Looks like yall had fun.
It figures that he eagles would show up when I go out of town.

 

[PGB]

Hey Patrick -
(3) Really a question - How did you train all these guys (except for the eagle) to fly in a straight line past you exactly at camera level?

Gordon

Gordon and Dao,

As far as my tracking technique goes I use a tripod and Wimberley Sidekick. Fortunately the GBH fly pretty slow. Around the dam visitor area are walkways that are nice to setup but I usually try to get closer to the water. There is a large area of boulders that slope downward to the water. Its probably a 20 foot declination from the visitor walkways to the water's edge. In between there is the perfect place. Once the TVA opens or starts the generators at the dam it stirs up fish on the bottom and they are stunned and float to the top of the water. Its like shooting fish in a barrel. The GBH just circle around, at the same altitude that I am located on the rocks continuously. Some land at the edge of the water and eat or watch for fish. It really is the perfect place for GBH.

I'll try to dig up some pics of the area where I shoot from and the dam itself. I usually forget about all of that stuff since the birds are so abundant.

I still come out with more pics that are not in focus or sharp than the ones that do. Yesterday I was shooting Focus fire only center focus area, which I thought worked extremely well for me.

Thanks again everyone for the nice comments.