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Robert O'Toole

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Robert O’Toole

“Not one day goes by when I don’t truly appreciate how lucky I am. I travel the world and make a living doing what I love,” Robert says. "My photography is everything to me; it’s not just a hobby, it is my life. My photography brings me so much I really enjoy sharing my images and knowledge with others.” For more information about Robert and to see more of his work, visit his website at www.robertotoolephotography.com.
  • Bald Eagle at sunset moments before a strike, Kachemak Bay Alaska.
    Sigma Product Used: 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    Focal Length Set: 350mm, Camera: 12 megapixel
    Shutter Speed: 1/2000, Aperture: f8.0, Exposure Mode: Manual, ISO Setting: 640

    Bald Eagle at sunset moments before a strike, Kachemak Bay Alaska.

    When I decided to pull my workshop group away from eagles fishing in an almost perfect eagle photography scenario in great late afternoon light and tell them that we were going to move to shoot into the sunset over water I almost had a mutiny on my hands. Thankfully everyone cooperated and the images made in this series were some of our best of the workshop. For this type of image you need a host of factors to align perfectly, tide, wind, light, and of course most importantly cooperative eagles.The colors you see in this image are all 100% natural and straight out of the camera, no color effects programs or manipulation used here, only slight cropping and sharpening applied.

  • First year Bald Eagle Juvenile warning others to stay away from its catch, Kachemak Bay Alaska.
    Sigma Product Used: 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 640, Focal length: 500mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 15 m
    Shutter speed:1/1600 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: Off

    First year Bald Eagle Juvenile warning others to stay away from its catch, Kachemak Bay Alaska.

    Everything started out as normal the morning this image was made last month in Alaska, plenty of eagles, good winds, calm seas and warm sunshine. After checking the tides I realized that the conditions were just above optimal for a favorite spot. When our workshop group arrived we found at least two dozen eagles all at eye level high atop a gravel bar at low tide with a beautiful blue water background all fighting for a few fish carcasses that were too heavy to fly off with. What happened after we arrived has one of the greatest sessions in Bald eagle photography history. This was any bird photographer’s dream come true for sure, only better. The only serious concern anyone had to worry about was did we all have enough memory cards?

  • Adult eagle banking against snow covered mountains, Kachemak Bay Alaska.
    Sigma Product Used: 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 640, Focal length: 290mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 21 m
    Shutter speed: 1/1600 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: Off

    Adult eagle banking against snow covered mountains, Kachemak Bay Alaska.

    The eagles were out in force and the afternoon winds began to howl out of the west with the sun behind some light clouds. The eagles seemed to enjoy the high winds; they would just hang in the air and bank back and forth. So the big question is what lens would you reach for? For situations like this I will always grab a telephoto zoom like the 150-500mm OS HSM used here, for maximum flexibility and to help avoid clipped wings with the eagles banking.

  • Bald Eagle on the attack at first light, Kachemak Bay Alaska.
    Sigma Product Used: 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 1000, Focal length: 300mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 15 m
    Shutter speed: 1/1250 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: Off

    Bald Eagle on the attack at first light, Kachemak Bay Alaska.

    The most important factors to success in eagle photography are knowledge about your subject; being in the right place and planning you’re shooting to be in the field at the right time. Once you are there it’s a simple matter of reading the wind, position of the sun, and tides to controlling your positioning to achieve success. Soft morning light, perfect winds, slack tide, good positioning and good timing making images like this can be as easy as pointing the camera and pulling the trigger. With a good workshop leader or guide placing you in the right place at the right time a short telephoto in the 70-200, up to 300 is all that is needed.

  • Dalmatian Pelican in breeding colors taking flight, Northern Greece.
    Sigma Product Used: 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 200, Focal length: 170mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 10.6 m
    Shutter speed: 1/1250 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: Off

    Dalmatian Pelican in breeding colors taking flight, Northern Greece.

    Getting your subject out of the center of an image is one of the easiest ways to give your images more impact. Normally it is best to give the subject more space in front, also called lead room, than then behind but there are times when the opposite works well such as this image of a Dalmatian Pelican taking to the air. Space for an interesting element such as this water droplet trail works well.

  • Dalmatian Pelican changing direction with a bank turn, Northern Greece.
    Sigma Product Used: 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 1600, Focal length: 95mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 7.5 m
    Shutter speed: 1/2000 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: Off

    Dalmatian Pelican changing direction with a bank turn, Northern Greece.

    Early this year I had the pleasure of exploring, setting up and co-leading a workshop for 8 people to northern Greece to photograph the Dalmatian Pelican. With a wingspan greater than 10 foot these amazing birds would dwarf the brown pelicans found in most of the US (in fact the Dalmatian Pelican is the heaviest bird on the planet on average). Making images like this of one of these birds executing a hard ninety degree bank is even more than I expected. The Sigma APO 50-500mm OS HSM worked perfectly during the entire trip and allowed me to shoot all day without changing a lens or having to use a teleconverter once.

  • Dalmatian Pelican portrait with peak breeding colors, Northern Greece.
    Sigma Product Used: 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 500, Focal length: 95mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 2.82 m
    Shutter speed: 1/640 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: Off

    Dalmatian Pelican portrait with peak breeding colors, Northern Greece.

    On a recent trip to Greece to photograph the Dalmatian Pelican I was able to field test the Sigma APO 50-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens. This was my first time using this lens and the ability to go from distant images of pelicans in flight to tight portraits like this with a twist of the wrist was nothing short of amazing! What looks like a bad hair day is actually just fine feathers drying into a cool looking hair like wave. The attractive red bill pouch is caused by hormonal changes during their breeding season.

  • Great Egret in peak breeding condition returning to the nest with building material, St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park Florida.
    Sigma Product Used: 150-500mm F5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
    ISO: 1600, Focal length: 250mm (in 35mm film), Subject distance: 17.8 m
    Shutter speed: 1/1250 sec, Aperture: 8.0, Exposure mode: Manual, Flash: On

    Great Egret in peak breeding condition returning to the nest with building material, St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park Florida.

    Rookeries can be superb locations to shoot because you are guaranteed certain predictable consistent behavior such as this. Here a Great Egret in beautiful breeding colors is returning with a twig complete with Spanish moss to its mate high up in a nest. Stay away from these locations when the light is harsh, cloudy weather is preferred; here a white subject (with fill flash) against a light colored sky creates a classic high key style image.