{"id":113,"date":"2014-12-31T07:00:32","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T07:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/originalfotografie.com\/?p=113"},"modified":"2014-12-31T17:03:58","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T17:03:58","slug":"how-to-photograph-the-american-bald-eagle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/originalfotografie.com\/?p=113","title":{"rendered":"How to photograph the American Bald Eagle"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many years the American Bald Eagle<\/a> was hunted for sport\u00a0to the point they were on the brink of extinction. \u00a0Since removed from the endangered species list on\u00a0July 12, 1995, this wondrous bird of prey can be found in almost every state in the union. \u00a0These powerful birds use their talons to fish and they live near water and favor coasts and lakes where fish are plentiful, though they will also snare and eat small mammals.<\/p>\n

Location(s)<\/h3>\n

In Maryland, the best place(s) to photograph these majestic birds are the Conowingo Dam<\/a> on the lower\u00a0Susquehanna River<\/a> and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge<\/a> in\u00a0Cambridge, MD. \u00a0From November to February the Conowingo Dam attracts over a hundred species of birds, but the bald eagles are the main attraction. \u00a0If you live outside the mid-Atlantic area, you can check the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<\/a> website for eagles near you.<\/p>\n

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From November to February the Conowingo Dam attracts over a hundred species of birds, but the bald eagles are the main\u00a0attraction.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You can often find these birds diving for fish or resting and eating on tree limbs. At Blackwater, you often find the birds nesting and soaring over the tree lines. \u00a0This brings me to the number one question I’m asked: \u00a0What type of photo gear do I need?<\/p>\n

It is best to use a digital camera with a APS-C<\/a> sensor (also known as “crop sensor”) and a “fast” long lens (300mm or 400mm recommended). \u00a0Don’t worry, if you don’t own one of these expensive lenses you can easily rent one\u00a0from local camera shops. \u00a0A monopod or tripod is also highly recommended. \u00a0I usually shoot RAW format<\/a>, but for Bald Eagles I prefer .JPG so I can get the highest frame-per-second rate as possible with my camera.<\/p>\n

\"Bald<\/a><\/p>\n

Camera Settings<\/h3>\n

I recommend using a shutter speed of 1\/500 sec or faster and an aperture (F-Stop of \u00a0f4 or f5.6 (f8 for brighter days). \u00a0I set my ISO to 100 or 200 for the best quality image without introducing too much noise. \u00a0The image above was shot using a 1\/750th sec shutter at f8 and ISO 200, using a 400mm lens.<\/p>\n

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