Bird Photo Competition 6 2016 : Entry Number 145

Judges Comment

Owing to their popularity as captive birds, many people have the opportunity to photograph Bald Eagles in close-up, so it's a challenge to produce a portrait that's not clichéd. In this case, this has been achieved through a combination of several elements: a dramatic pose and shooting angle, an expert mono conversion and effective use of square framing. Even so, this image would have had limited interest without the atmospheric elements: a rainy setting and a perfect cloud of breath. This image shows the power of combining multiple photographic techniques - both in the field and in post-production - to bring out the best in any subject.

Photographers Comment

Thank you so much for selecting my photo! My name is Ron and I am from New Jersey. This is a female rescued bald eagle named Adak that could not be released and now lives at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ. I photographed her calling on a cloudy, cool and rainy day at the zoo. This was taken with a Canon 7D using the Canon 100-400 v2 lens. Post processing was done in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CC.