
Bald eagles, a trip to Haines, AK.
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One of the advantages of shooting in Haines, AK is the natural setting and ambiance. The combination of clouds, snow covered mountains as well as the trees combined with soft diffused light provides the photographer with the opportunity to depict the winter ambiance as well as the cold Alaskan landscape where eagles live. High ISO is a necessity to shoot in these environment, I was shooting at ISO 1600 most of the time. Therefore, I recommend using a pro body and a fast super-telephoto lens to handle these conditions. My EOS 1D MKIV produces very nice files up to ISO 3200, I used my processing and noise reduction flow described in my guide to produce these images. I used EF 600mm f/4 IS II with and without the 1.4X Extender III for all of these photos. All of the photographs were made handheld which is essential in getting flight and action shots that happen in a split second.

The ground is mostly covered with snow at this time of the year which is a plus for photographing eagles, the reflected light from snow provides uniform soft illumination. With proper exposure nice detail can be rendered in the darker plumage, which is often a difficult task in direct sunlight. A useful tip: Use manual exposure for best results. Especially if you are interested in photographing eagles in flight against varied backgrounds. It is best not to rely on camera’s meter since it will be fooled by the bright (snow or clouds) and the dark (mountains or trees) backgrounds as the photographer tracks the flying eagle against such backgrounds. In the former case, the eagle will be underexposed severely leaving no detail in the darks, while in the latter scenario the eagles will be overexposed with the head/tail whites blown beyond recovery. Always check your histogram carefully and try to set the exposure accurately, with high ISOs and low light there isn’t much headroom for error. All of the photographs presented here were metered manually.


Juvenile eagles have darker plumage compared to the adults. They can be aged by noting the white patches that start to dominate in the head/tail area until it becomes completely bald in adult birds. The exposure is a bit different for juveniles, remember to change your exposure if you go back and forth between adult and juvenile birds. Always watch for changing light conditions!

It is quite cold in the Haines valley in this season, remember to bring hand warmers so you can keep your hands warm when waiting for action. It is quite possible to miss a great frame if your fingers become numb and fail to depress the shutter button quickly. This happened to me a few times!

Eagles stand out against the dark background nicely.


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I am going to photograph the eagles at Haines in November, 2013, and these pages were very helpful in showing me what it is like and how to shoot the eagles. Your tips will come in very handy.
Thank you – Barry
Excellent write-up and fantastic images Arash!
What a great experience you had at Haines with the eagles Arash – I’m most envious!!
Thanks for sharing your techniques and images.
Very nice article, and excellent images as well, Arash.
Hi
great shots of eagles. I see you had a great trip.
Was wondering when you went and is this the best time of year to go??
thanks
James
Hi James, Thanks for your comments. I think the best time is from Oct. to Nov.
[…] Date: December 11, 2012 Author: Ari Category: Uncategorized Tags: Canon 1DX filed review, Canon 1DX review, EOS 1DX review ← Bald eagles, a trip to Haines, AK. […]
I must compliment you. Your images are breathtaking & awesome. You are n encouragement to me. I hope to get my new Canon 600 mm & possibly the 1DX within the next two weeks…………
What a beautiful work!!!! 😀 God’s creation is amazing…..
thanks for posting your beautiful shots and your camera setting. I am working up a trip to go this year from 8 Nov thru 14 Nov. I would love to take just one shot what would compare to yours.
A lot of great info. I’m heading to Haines 8 Nov 2024 and plan to try your camera setting and see if they work for me as a starting point. Thanks Don