What my recent trip to Alaska lacked in eagles in action was more than made up for by cooperative eagles in beautiful light. I photographed hundreds of images of eagles waiting for a decisive moment to unleash a glaring stare or unrestrained call. Most of my best new images involve direct eye contact. I mostly deleted my images where the eagles were simply too complacent. This image resonated with me because the eagle’s stand-up attention made it appear noble and proud. However, this common anthropomorphization does not necessarily agree with their lazy and opportunistic nature. I created this image with my Canon 7D and 500mm f4 IS lens using minimal digital processing. For this photo, I precisely positioned my camera so as to render the distant snow-capped mountain, forest, and bushes as pleasing bokeh. I always advise photographers that, when using a long telephoto lens, what is behind the subject is just as important as the subject.
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This is amazing work, Jon. I really love the eagle’s expression and everything about how this picture was made. Thanks for sharing.
You even managed to get red, blue and white bands in the background!
Kah Kit-I knew that I liked the background in this image, but had not made the connection of red, white, & blue. I only saw the red as brown. This explains why this image is resonating with so many people. Thanks for helping me “see” my own picture.