Timing is everything

February 18, 2021 by Mike Powell

Timing is a critical skill in taking wildlife photographs (and in telling the lame jokes I so enjoy), and I was thrilled to capture this image last Friday as a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was lifting off from its nest high in a tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I kept my wits about me and was able to track the eagle and get a few shots as it flew parallel to me before turning and flying away.

If you remember yesterday’s posting with the singing eagle, you can’t help but notice the contrast in the sky colors. On Monday of last week, we had brilliant blue skies, which have been rare this winter, but when I took these photos a few days later, we had reverted to the gloomy, gray skies that are more typical.

Without the glare, I didn’t have to worry about blowing out the details of the eagle’s bright white head and tail, which was a definitely plus, but my camera and lens combination tends to work best when I have better light. Nonetheless, it is always a joy to successfully capture images of birds in flight, especially bald eagles.

I am particularly happy with the eagle’s wing positions in the final photo, though I dud have to crop it in an unusual way because it was near the bottom of the frame in the original shot—if the eagle had extended the wings, they would surely have been cut off in my shot.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged Bald Eagle, Bald Eagle in flight, bald eagle nest, Canon 50D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 34 Comments

34 Responses

on February 18, 2021 at 8:52 am | Reply rajanisingh885721172

Beautiful blog
- on February 18, 2021 at 9:18 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks.
  - on February 18, 2021 at 10:06 pm rajanisingh885721172
    
    Please read my post
on February 18, 2021 at 9:01 am | Reply Patricia M Osborne

Fabulous shots as always
- on February 18, 2021 at 9:17 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Tricia. When I go out with my camera, there is never a guarantee that I will get good results, but persistence often pays off eventually. I suspect that the same is true for writers and poets.
  - on February 18, 2021 at 1:32 pm Patricia M Osborne
    
    You do well. Although as writers, Mike, we are lucky as we don’t need to catch anything as we can imagine what we want to see.
  - on February 18, 2021 at 7:44 pm Mike Powell
    
    I suspect, though, that the hard work comes in translating that vision into words on paper.
  - on February 19, 2021 at 8:11 am Patricia M Osborne
    
    I suppose so, although I’m sure most writers are like me and don’t see that as hard work but where the fun really begins. It is wonderful to watch how a poem evolves.
on February 18, 2021 at 9:22 am | Reply Ellen Jennings

Great captures, Mike, and yes, timing good and bad is part of the fun—along with keeping our wits. Sometimes I’m so surprised by something spectacular I don’t get the shot. Wonderful detail on the head and feet and the framing on your last image is spot-on!
- on February 18, 2021 at 9:27 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks Ellen. I wouldn’t dare calculate my success rate in getting shots of the cool things that I see, but suffice it to say it is not very high. When I miss one chance, I press on, optimistically confident I will have another opportunity. As for the last image, that is essentially the lower third of the original frame. 🙂
  - on February 19, 2021 at 9:01 am Ellen Jennings
    
    Same, although experience does make us more ready for the next encounter and keeps getting us out there 🙂
  - on February 19, 2021 at 9:11 am Mike Powell
    
    Yeah, it’s fair to say that I am kind of addicted. 🙂
  - on February 19, 2021 at 9:36 am Ellen Jennings
    
    😂
on February 18, 2021 at 9:25 am | Reply Dan Antion

Great action shots, Mike!
- on February 18, 2021 at 9:29 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan. Capturing action is always a fun challenge. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, the resulting images can often be interesting and dynamic in a way that perched shots can rarely be.
on February 18, 2021 at 9:40 am | Reply Mitzy Bricker

Those are beautiful captures, Mike! 👏

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- on February 18, 2021 at 11:24 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Mitzy.
on February 18, 2021 at 9:46 am | Reply Jet Eliot

Oh what a treat to see this bald eagle through your lens, Mike. There are so few times when we actually see a bald eagle’s feet, it was great to see the claws, the feet, and the hook in the bill. Those long, strong wings are also a joy to see, and your third photo, as you say, worked out well with the positioning, and such an elegant furl you captured.
- on February 18, 2021 at 11:24 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Jet. Eagles are really special and I am blessed to see them fairly regularly. I am well aware, though. that for most people, it is rare to see them at all, much less closely enough to see the details that you noted. Sharing my photos lets others see through my lens and to a significant extent through my eyes. A lot of creative choices influence how and where I point the lens and what kind of results I am trying to achieve. Then when the images are loaded onto my computer, there are lots of choices on how I will process them including the question of cropping. Almost always I will try to lead the viewer to see what I was seeing, what it was that caused me to stop and take the photo.
on February 18, 2021 at 10:17 am | Reply Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography

It’s just so darn satisfying when you get these shots isn’t it 😃😃. Great series.
- on February 18, 2021 at 11:17 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ted. Non-photographers don’t necessarily understand how a lot of different things have to come together to get these kinds of shots. You definitely do understand. So, yes, it is really satisfying when it works.
on February 18, 2021 at 10:28 am | Reply picpholio

And the timing was perfect Mike 😉 (and not only in this serie of pictures)
- on February 18, 2021 at 11:17 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks.
on February 18, 2021 at 10:39 am | Reply Reed Andariese

Very nice series of images Mike!
- on February 18, 2021 at 11:15 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Reed
on February 18, 2021 at 5:12 pm | Reply sv-anui.com

Beautiful series Mike. The details in the plumage are fantastic.
- on February 18, 2021 at 7:34 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris.
on February 18, 2021 at 7:55 pm | Reply Eliza Waters

Nice sequence, Mike. Such power in those wingbeats!
- on February 18, 2021 at 8:30 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Eliza.
on February 19, 2021 at 4:15 am | Reply krikitarts

Your third shot really augments the power in those wings, Magnificent.
- on February 19, 2021 at 6:40 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. It is amazing how much power an eagle can generate with a single flap of those mighty wings.
on February 19, 2021 at 8:11 am | Reply Timing is everything from Mike Powell | On Earth as in Heaven

[…] Timing is everything […]
on February 19, 2021 at 8:17 am | Reply Roger Hovis

Great shots! Keep up the awesome work
- on February 19, 2021 at 9:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Roger.