When photographing birds in flight, the key is to capture the bird’s head and eyes in focus. It’s ideal to have the bird flying towards you rather than away. For wing position, a "V" shape or a gliding posture with visible primary feathers adds impact to the shot. A cool background with a few trees can provide perspective, while a clean background helps the bird stand out. Clear blue skies can add drama to the scene. For lighting, it's best to shoot from the front or side, as backlighting can create silhouettes.

It takes about 5 years for Bald Eagles to attain full coloration of their heads and tails. Immature eagles can be confused with other raptors, but their beaks will always give the away. The first picture is one year, the second picture is likely around 3 to 4, The other two are likely 2.5 years. It is not unusual to see the family together. Eagles typically have two eggs, with only one reaching fledgling.

American Bald Eagles

Supplemental to the February newsletter., more tips and behind the scenes of photographing Bald Eagles; gear, settings, compositional elements and a few notes about Eagles in general. Eagles cannot be controlled, but understanding their habits can help you put yourself in position to make good photos. And like all wildlife, be respectful. Success is getting a photo without disturbing the subject in any way, making them react or at worst fly off.

When stationary, Eagle always look regal with piercing stares. Interesting, trees and early light can add dramatic effects to the image. Eagles can turn their heads about 270 degrees, and often will scan the area by looking around, which means you will likely have a chance to shoot them looking straight at you. The eagle in the 1st picture is perched in the fishing tree, scanning the river for fish. Note how the branch is torn up from the many talons that have perched there.

The pinnacle of Bald Eagle photography is capturing "the catch"—that breathtaking moment when the eagle swoops down to snatch a fish. Patience is key, as you’ll often wait for the eagle to perch in the trees before it makes its approach. Using burst mode (multiple shots per second) increases your chances of getting the perfect shot. Positioning is crucial, so it's important to understand where the eagle is likely to drop in. Observe, wait, and place yourself in the right spot. Be patient, ready, and make sure to take test shots to confirm your settings are dialed in.

Technical stuff. All of the pictures here were taken with a long lens 500 to 840mm and then cropped in post processing.

Aperture is wide open for the lenses, which for the ones I have is 5.6 to 9. An F4 lens in this length cost in excess of $10k (which is why I don’t have one - yet)

Shutter speed, with long lenses needs to be fast to eliminate motion blur. These were taken between 1/1250 to 1/2000 of a second. I have used a gimbal tripod on occasion, but haven’t really mastered birds in flight with it yet.
With apertures of 5.6 to 9 and shutter speeds at 1/2000, the only way to get good exposure is to increase the ISO. ISO for these, depending on the amount of sunlight is between 320 and 1500. With higher ISO comes higher noise, but modern editing has great noise reduction features.

One of the hardest things in exposure is to capture all the details without blowing out the highlights in the bright white heads and tails. Eagles are very black and very white. With direct sunlight this causes exposure issues. Check and review your images routinely and turn on the “blinkies” (if you want to know more, drop me a note). Shoot, check for exposure, shoot some more. I shoot in manual mode with auto ISO. So I watch the exposure to ensure the highlight s are not blown out. Often times exposure compensation may be needed. I often shoot minus .7 stops or so in bright light.

If you got this far, great! Hopefully you enjoyed the Eagle images and are inspired to get out to see for yourself, with your own eyes. And if you liked (or didn’t), or have any thoughts, questions, etc, hit one of the link buttons below and drop me a note.

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