Photographer’s Photos Of Ospreys In Hunting Mode Show How Calculated Everything In Nature Is
Watching the majestic osprey soar through the sky is a sight to behold. It takes a professional photographer to shoot pictures of them when they’re flying. And an even better artist to get photos of them when they’re in the middle of hunting.
Enter Chen Chengguang, a Taiwanese photographer who takes artistic photos of birds. Some of his best bird photography work involves immortalizing ospreys with his camera lens. Especially his chronophotographs where pics of ospreys diving toward their prey are taken in several frames and then composited into one image.
Scroll down and enjoy Chen’s stunning pictures. Be sure to take a look at the rest of his photos on his Instagram account: they are gorgeous. And if you’re still in need of some more majestically beautiful bird content, have a read through Bored Panda’s post about gigantic harpy eagles.
More info: Instagram
Photographer Chen Chengguang took some incredible pictures of ospreys in the middle of hunting
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Image credits: joinus12345
Image credits: joinus12345
According to Chen, he has been “obsessed” with shooting photos of birds for a long while. His goal is to show “the most beautiful aspects” of flight. He points out that his work as a photographer is full of “toil, frustration, excitement,” but that all of this is worth it because it makes him feel like he achieved something.
Chen uses a technique called chronophotography to create frame-by-frame composite images
Image credits: joinus12345
Image credits: joinus12345
Image credits: joinus12345
Over 209,000 people on Instagram follow Chen and wait for his incredible photos of wildlife. It’s clear why: the shots are aesthetic, colorful, and present a new and exciting way of looking at birds.
After osprey catch fish, they orient them headfirst to minimize wind resistance
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Image credits: joinus12345
Image credits: joinus12345
Ospreys live up to 30 years in the wild, according to National Geographic. They almost exclusively feast on fish-flesh. In fact, fish make up 99 percent of their diet. That’s some serious pescetarianism right there (minus the veggies).
Truly majestic
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Image credits: joinus12345
Image credits: joinus12345
These birds of prey mostly live around bodies of water because of their diets. Their bodies are perfect for hunting fish: they have curved claws and pads on their feet, which means their prey has little chance of escaping.
Osprey have curved claws and pads on their feet that are perfect for catching fish
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Image credits: joinus12345
Ospreys dive to the water’s surface from 30 to 100 feet (9 to 30 meters) in the air. That’s incredible! What’s almost equally as cool is that when an osprey flies with a fish in its talons, it orients it headfirst to reduce wind resistance.
These birds’ diets consist of 99 percent fish
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Image credits: joinus12345
The osprey population in the US was in danger back in the 1950s when their natural habitats were polluted with chemicals. Fortunately, they overcame that challenge and increased their population in some locations.
Chen’s photos received plenty of compliments
Awesome and so beautiful! I watched ski jumping today but this is even more elegant
Difference is that they need to do this to survive
Load More Replies...Amazing. I've seen these birds working in real time but they've so fast all I could see was swoop and splash.
The star formation of the talons before impact is perfection. Great photos!
We are in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Watching a nesting Osprey daily as she flies right overhead and catches her food in the inlet off our balcony. Just observing them is mesmerizing and these pictures are incredible!
If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, how much is a bird with two fish in it's hand worth?
Really awesome photos! Tho I have to admit - before I clicked into the article, the "bait" pics had me thinking there were multiple birds working together, pulling each other out of the water, maybe doing some deep dives or something. That would be cool...
Those appear to be Asian Carp or another kind of Carp it has within the talons. Even this predatory bird is doing its part to rid freshwater lakes of these invasive species. Too bad it's only one or two at a time.
fantastic photos! i'm fortunate to see these birds where i live on a weekly basis. it's always a thrill to see one fly by with a catch. a truly beautiful bird.
they look like when you accidentally dropped your food from your hand and trying to catch it before it fell to the ground
Seriously- birds are terrifying. Obviously little ones aren't as scary, but still. They are amazing, the way that they're set up to do things like this with such skill is mind boggling. They're still so scary though.
Absolutely unbelievable! Magnificent photos of a magnificent raptor. So beautiful and so glad the pictures were shared.
I love how majestic birds are. God made creatures that can fly which in my opinion is the best type of animal... the flying type.... because they can do this an also sour through the sky and threw the heavens and look at the world were some animals cant and there lucky to fly cause they get to see the beautiful sky and earth
Don't be so condescending to people who are just making average comments, it's obnoxious. Thanks!
Load More Replies...Awesome and so beautiful! I watched ski jumping today but this is even more elegant
Difference is that they need to do this to survive
Load More Replies...Amazing. I've seen these birds working in real time but they've so fast all I could see was swoop and splash.
The star formation of the talons before impact is perfection. Great photos!
We are in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Watching a nesting Osprey daily as she flies right overhead and catches her food in the inlet off our balcony. Just observing them is mesmerizing and these pictures are incredible!
If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, how much is a bird with two fish in it's hand worth?
Really awesome photos! Tho I have to admit - before I clicked into the article, the "bait" pics had me thinking there were multiple birds working together, pulling each other out of the water, maybe doing some deep dives or something. That would be cool...
Those appear to be Asian Carp or another kind of Carp it has within the talons. Even this predatory bird is doing its part to rid freshwater lakes of these invasive species. Too bad it's only one or two at a time.
fantastic photos! i'm fortunate to see these birds where i live on a weekly basis. it's always a thrill to see one fly by with a catch. a truly beautiful bird.
they look like when you accidentally dropped your food from your hand and trying to catch it before it fell to the ground
Seriously- birds are terrifying. Obviously little ones aren't as scary, but still. They are amazing, the way that they're set up to do things like this with such skill is mind boggling. They're still so scary though.
Absolutely unbelievable! Magnificent photos of a magnificent raptor. So beautiful and so glad the pictures were shared.
I love how majestic birds are. God made creatures that can fly which in my opinion is the best type of animal... the flying type.... because they can do this an also sour through the sky and threw the heavens and look at the world were some animals cant and there lucky to fly cause they get to see the beautiful sky and earth
Don't be so condescending to people who are just making average comments, it's obnoxious. Thanks!
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