Dan Perovich's Cyberfront Property

Photo365-20100126 – A Lucky Lunch, originally uploaded by HokiePerogi.
1/3200 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 185 mm (EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM)

I was on my way to Wegmans today to pick up some lunch to bring back to work when I spotted this hawk in a tree fifteen yards off the parking lot.  Luckily I still had the DSLR in the trunk of my car, usually I bring it into work and lock it up during the day.  I quickly parked the car and got to work getting my 70-200mm lens and flash put onto my camera.  By the time I was ready to start shooting the hawk, she had flown about fifty yards away into another tree.  I made the small trek and started shooting picture after picture when I could fill the frame with my new friend.  I set the flash in a way to provide me a bit of catch light in the hawk’s eyes.  Doing this gave life to the bird, without it, the hawk may have looked fake.

I spent about fifteen minutes taking different shots using both the wide-side, 70mm, and long-side, 200mm, focal lengths.  In the process, I walked a complete circle around the tree where my friend stayed perched during the shoot.  At one point I was about fifteen yards away from the the tree.  The hawk did not seem to mind my presence and constant flashing.  In fact, she was even kind enough to try several different head positions for me.