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NatureScapes.net Monthly Newsletter - February 2011

Kicking Up the Dust - Paul Leverington

"Working the local area for a subject has the unique advantage of letting one become familiar with that subject, such as I have with this hawk that has lived in this area for many years now. Having a repeatable situation and a familiar subject has benefits that cannot be understated, giving one the ability to change compositions, tweak them, and re-shoot. This allows one to try new ideas with entirely new compositions not first imagined. This male Red Tailed hawk lives in one of the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, typical of many of his kind. The day this shot was taken was after a night of very dry snowfall and bitter cold with little wind. The cold dry snow deposited a loose layer that would kick up under the wing beats of this hawk. I had not expected this, but once I saw it I soon incorporated it into my shooting strategies for that day. To gain power for the hawk in the composition, I knew I would need to get low so as to be looking up at him, even though he was only inches above the ground. I ended up positioning the camera eight feet below his level by placing the camera down a hill so that it was looking up at him. All ground clutter behind him was simultaneously eliminated by this upwards aiming shooting angle. The break in the trees in the background was incorporated in at the time of shooting as a visual exit point, to add background interest, and to create a feeling of depth going back into the picture. I feel this image turned out to be one of the better ones of the day."

Equipment Used: Canon 1D Mark IV, 600mm f/4 lens, 1/1250s, f/4, ISO 400.

NatureScapes.net 2010 Images of the Year Award Winners
Total prize value for 2010 is over $6,000! About Images of the Year:

Each week the moderators and staff of NatureScapes select one photo that particularly stands out in each of the image critique galleries. This photo becomes that gallery's Image of the Week, and at year end one image is selected from these to be the gallery's Image of the Year.

With so many wonderful images we have also included two images as Honorable Mentions in each gallery.

Prizes:
Images of the Year Winners:
  • A complimentary one-year membership to NatureScapes.
  • $600.00 shopping spree at the NatureScapes online store.
  Honorable Mentions:
  • A complimentary one-year membership to NatureScapes.
  • $150.00 shopping spree at the NatureScapes online store.
  This year's awards were proudly sponsored by:  
 
NatureScapes.net Online Store Wimberley Hunt's Manfrotto
 
 
LensCoat ThinkTank Photo
 
  Images of the Year Winners for 2010:  
 
Birds Gallery   Wildlife Gallery
Birds Gallery WinnerImage of the Year
Kicking Up the Dust
© Paul Leverington
  Wildlife Gallery WinnerImage of the Year
Black Rhino Charge
© Peter Delaney
Honorable Mention
Cliff Swallow Back from Grocery Store
by Lynn Schmid
Honorable Mention
Family Portrait
by Con Foley
 
Honorable Mention
Capped Langur
by Clement Francis
Honorable Mention
Coyote and Vole
by Rob Palmer
     
     
Landscapes Gallery   Flora & Macro Gallery
Landscapes Gallery WinnerImage of the Year
In the Dead of the Night
© Marsel van Oosten
  Flora and Macro Gallery WinnerImage of the Year
Young Lady
© Romolo Migotti
Honorable Mention
The Tetons
by Justin Reznick
Honorable Mention
Dawn Storm, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
by Ian Plant
 
Honorable Mention
Tortoise Beetle
by Yan Leong
Honorable Mention
Dryad's Saddle with Gill Over the Ground
by Stephen Gingold
     
     
Travel and Culture Gallery   Photo and Digital Art Gallery
Travel and Culture Gallery WinnerImage of the Year
Sundance
© Wee Keat Cheoh
  Photo and Digital Art  Gallery WinnerImage of the Year
Everglades Ballet
© Susan Schermer
Honorable Mention
Joyride
by Usha Peddamatham
Honorable Mention
Dunnottar Castle
by Peter Ireland
 
Honorable Mention
Mesquite Road
by Hector D. Astorga
Honorable Mention
Frozen Dreams
by Tom Crosman
     
 
 
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