Ninja Martial Eagle
When it comes to photography, like many aspects of life, you take what you can get. And for me, nothing gets much better than a martial eagle, even a juvenile like this one. I’ll take it any day. But my problem with this photo was the background – a tangle of branches and distractions. A bit of a mess – again, not uncommon in real life.
But, if you have to take what you get in life or go without, there’s no rule that says you can’t do something different with what you’ve been served up. Even change its shape, if you can – or purpose, if you wish. In the photographic handbook, this picture is a no-no. It’s been altered – quite dramatically. I’ve enhanced the subject and dulled the background. Naughty, naughty – say 200 Hail Mary’s – or the iconographic equivalent. (I’ve never said a Hail Mary, so don’t know if that’s a lenient or merciless punishment.) But if I enter it in a ‘competition’ in a nature category, it will be disqualified.
As an ornithologist, you might look at the image very differently. You’d be less interested in the background. The fact that you have a close up of a majestic eagle, albeit a juvenile, is the real issue. And, as such, this is a great picture. It’s not every day you get to see a martial eagle, let alone from this close.
As an avian illustrator, you would focus on the detail and the picture will be very pleasing. You will immediately set about recreating it in the medium you use to display your own work. And you’d call your ornithologist friend to view your finished piece. The two of you will probably toast it with a glass of wine.
As a wildlife artist, you too would render this image in the medium you prefer. If you work in water colours, the background will be even more vague – probably softened by pastel colours. Because you have artistic licence and can freely change the background or any part of the image you wish.
As me, you’ll look at the image and say, ‘I didn’t think I had a picture here. But thanks to photoshop I now do and I’ve got another game park memory that’s mine to cherish.
I like what life dished up on this occasion.
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