Hark 2020

I'm still dealing with a knee/leg problem but felt I could walk a little today. So I went out looking for potential leaf images for the weekly challenge.

Any leaves around here are brown and lifeless. When I saw this scene, it literally sucked the breath right out of me. It took me back to my college days when I had a Literature class. We had to read and analyze poetry. In the same sense that poetry contains hidden meanings, this image speaks of great sadness.

Some of you know I take photos of memorial benches to remind the families their loved ones are not forgotten. When I saw this view, I immediately perceived the withered leaves to represent the lives of loved ones who have passed. And in the distance, the memorial benches represent the hearts that are broken. The juxtaposition of the two really hits hard and fills me with a sadness I've never experienced when taking bench photos. This image gives me great pause.

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That is quite moving.

Well...I learned my lesson.

Yesterday I came upon this juvenile Bald Eagle but had trouble keeping steady. So I shot it with a higher-than-I-needed shutter speed which translated into a high ISO. And what that means is more noise.



So I changed my settings (lowered my shutter speed) and tried to steady myself better - keep in mind I have a stressed hamstring along with chronic tendonitis in my forearms. I also removed the circular polarizer from my lens - and I'm a sticker for using one. But here was today's result. There's definitely much less noise to deal with although yesterday's image was brightened slightly more than today's.

Most likely I won't use a CP filter on this lens. The tradeoff is much better without it since there is more light reaching the sensor when it isn't in use.

In this photo, I thought for sure it was getting ready to take off. It crouched down as though it was going to spring off the utility pole. It adjusted its wings, ducked its head a little, and began to move its tail. But nope. It didn't take off. So what did it do?

It let loose a huge load...if you know what I mean. But it gave me a great photo.

i have a "post your crappy pics" for those kinda shots Cindy, and i find a few drinks will steady you up a bit.

Originally Posted by Roy1961

i have a "post your crappy pics" for those kinda shots Cindy, and i find a few drinks will steady you up a bit.

Indeed.

Although I didn't see the juvenile eagle today, I did see this Immature Red-Tailed Hawk. There was a bulldozer moving forward and backward maybe 20 to 25 feet in front of the hawk. I was surprised with how long the hawk stayed put. This was also shot thru a chain link fence. I pressed my hood right up against the fence to keep my camera steady. That allowed me to lower my shutter speed MUCH more than when I shot the eagle the other day - and resulted in a MUCH better ISO.

Plus I enabled Easy ISO to allow the ISO to display inside my viewfinder. The other day I couldn't tell what ISO was being used by Auto ISO.

Originally Posted by hark

I'm such a Goober! I can't believe I edited the wrong image. This is the one I meant to edit and post since its head was more visible with much better light.

I updated the info on the hawk. In a PA Birder's Facebook group, I was told by several people this wasn't a Cooper's Hawk. They say it's an Immature Red-Tailed Hawk. It didn't have a red tail - I took a photo of it on an electric wire showing its back. Definitely no red tail. And its tail isn't as long as a Cooper's Hawk. But the sheer size of it made me think it was a Cooper's Hawk.