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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Celebrate 50 >> Eligible Gallery > Watching me like a hawk *
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09-MAR-2004 Mary Anne O'Connor

Watching me like a hawk *

Massachusetts

I was driving on the entrance road to the wildlife center where I volunteer when I spotted this hawk high in a tree. Even though I accidentally hit a button on my remote car entry and started the horn beeping, he just sat there watching me, not moving while I walked around the tree taking pictures from several angles. I had to do a good bit of cropping and color correcting because of the bright sky behind the bird, but I was pleased with the final product, especially considering that I used only the standard 4x digital zoom on my G3. I know this picture won't make "National Geographic," but it's one of the best wildlife shots I've ever taken.

Canon PowerShot G3
1/200s f/6.3 at 28.8mm full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Garrett Lau16-Mar-2004 21:12
In Photoshop, you can use the Magic Wand to select the sky. Then any adjustments you do will only apply to your selection. I don't usually do that type of retouching, but I made an exception for this vulture shot that I took on a foggy morning:
http://www.pbase.com/image/26817720
ctfchallenge16-Mar-2004 20:39
You're right about the background...I would prefer a sky with some color but when I tried increasing saturation, it came out a pinkish hue. How could I get some blue (or even gray) into it without losing the cream color in the feathers? --Mary Anne
Garrett Lau16-Mar-2004 04:55
Congratulations on getting a clear shot of the hawk. The snow-covered branch is good, too. One thing I'm not too sure about is the sky. Although the dull sky suggests winter, I wonder whether it would look better if it were more saturated. --Garrett