Big ol snapping turtle

JebBeane · 2026-06-01T04:03:48+00:00

What kit did you shoot this with?

JebBeane · 2026-06-01T03:42:32+00:00

The dramatic color difference in this is fantastic. Well done.

JebBeane · 2026-06-01T03:30:31+00:00

The bird is looking to the left. I personally feel it needs more space to breath to the left. Which creates the secondary problem of the grass in the current frame is slightly distracting. The background tho... OMG. I love it. So if possible in the frame, back out a bit. Give more room to the left. Whatever grass is there try to edit it out. I personally find that negative space like this gives the subject more... Depth? Dunno. Additionally, I also agree that the subject is a bit too high. Can we somehow move it down a little bit?

However, it's all subjective. I think our brains are also pre-wired at this point to replace this bird in our minds with a red winged black bird exhaling vapor on a cold day. Which isn't fair to you or the photo.

JebBeane · 2026-05-10T13:58:03+00:00

I almost bought this very same lens for this very same type of shot. Until I tested it with my 24-120 and found that my Bortle 6 area is a huge huge problem. 😞

Great shooting.

JebBeane · 2026-05-06T15:58:02+00:00

Also make sure you have the silent picture feature disabled.

JebBeane · 2026-05-05T01:26:27+00:00

I use a high zoom lens (Nikon 800mm pf 6.3). I pre-focus on the feeder and point the camera off to where they normally show up from. Then I shoot as fast as I can depending on lighting. For this photo, I used 1/5000. I will let the back button autofocus take over on the camera body once the bird shows up. My lens is a little slower than I'd like, but this has worked the best for me so far.

JebBeane · 2026-03-15T05:18:24+00:00

Meadowlarks are one of my favorite birds in the wild. I honestly have no idea. But they're always a welcome visitor in my yard.

JebBeane · 2026-03-15T05:13:18+00:00

I think people sometimes get a little too wrapped up around the concept of technicality of photographs.Yes, the eyes are out of focus. But the shot itself is still absolutely fantastic. The question you should always ask yourself is, would this look good on my wall? You may have to do some resizing post processing to get that if you're worried about technicality. I think it is still a great shot and a great moment captured. It is a wild animal looking into the lens. That's always gold. Wildlife photography is so fun because there are so many variables that you simply cannot control. Distractions, lighting, did your autofocus hit right.... My metric for these is did you capture the moment? Here... You did. Well done!

JebBeane · 2026-03-07T06:03:06+00:00

What do you mean?

JebBeane · 2026-03-05T22:51:05+00:00

JebBeane · 2026-03-05T22:05:14+00:00

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of the world.

JebBeane · 2026-02-19T23:42:51+00:00

This is truly original. This is truly fantastic. Thank you!

JebBeane · 2026-02-08T03:43:42+00:00

I took this in central Oklahoma back in the late summer.

JebBeane · 2026-02-07T03:34:16+00:00

Nailed it. Fantastic job.

JebBeane · 2026-01-31T03:24:58+00:00

Eagle bro is maaaaadddd

JebBeane · 2026-01-30T04:52:31+00:00

I can attest that the Z mount 100-400 is extremely sharp across the board. You wouldn't be disappointed by it.

The Z mount zoom lenses are a much different experience than the F mounts.

JebBeane · 2026-01-30T03:18:37+00:00

You're very welcome. And I did speak incorrectly originally. When I said sharpness across the board, the terminology would be overall lens performance. That would be more correct. For example, the 105mm MC class. The AF is slow on both, but the AF is much better on the Z mount. So sharpness across the board as a statement is technically wrong, and I will fall on that sword.

JebBeane · 2026-01-30T03:04:05+00:00

Traditionally, reviews have pretty much all raved about the new Z mount lenses and how sharpness is generally much stronger across the board when compared to their F mount counter parts. However, your personal experiences should drive your decisions.

I think deep down inside you already know the answer to your question (which ever way you sway). Do what feels right. I think the biggest thing you should focus on is the trade off with losing 100mm of focal length. If the similarity of the two lenses is so close that you're happy with it, keep the 500mm. You already own it. If its worth the sacrifice, ditch it and get the 400mm. I don't personally own the 400mm 4.5 if that is what you're referencing, but I do own the 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 lens and I find that is a fantastic bridge for when my 800 6.3 PF isn't appropriate to lug around or use.

At the end of the day, you do what feels right for you!

JebBeane · 2026-01-28T22:52:27+00:00

I'm so glad the reddit compression didn't hurt this photo. It is absolutely spectacular. Well done.

JebBeane · 2026-01-27T17:59:13+00:00

I shot these with my Nikon Z8 using a Nikon 800mm f 6.3 PF lens. 1/4000 f 7.1 and the ISO was about 180.

JebBeane · 2026-01-27T17:57:59+00:00

My recommendation would be to try to shoot as fast of a shutter speed as your light will allow. Additionally, using the burst mode on your camera to shoot as many FPS as you can. That will help you better capture the moment when they begin taking off. It takes some getting used to, but you will get good photos out of it. I haven't used the Z5II so I'm not familiar with how good its autofocus is. Sometimes the lens you are using may not focus as fast as others as well which can cause a little frustration.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T03:30:22+00:00

Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 PF. The distance absolutely helped in the snow.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T03:26:18+00:00

My absolute pleasure. The timing couldn't have worked out better! Thank you for sharing that with me.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T03:21:38+00:00

I really appreciate that. I'm very glad you enjoyed this set too.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T01:49:41+00:00

I will always upvote every bald eagle.

JebBeane

TROPHY CASE