This is my very first black kite (captured in Fukuoka Seaside Park). At that time, I didn't know what it was—other than that it looked totally badass. Now, having photographed so many of them, I even confuse local Rocky Mountain hawks for these glorious predators.
In Flight
This capture turned out to be, well, weird.
At first, I couldn't quite figure out why it feels that way: after all, the kite in motion is in focus. I suppose it's the fact that I used a shallow depth of field, but it wasn't shallow enough to blur the background further. So, neither the waves, nor the wall is perfectly sharp or substantially out of focus.
However, this is one of my only photos of predatory birds in motion: anyone who's tried to capture them in flight with a heavy (tripodless) telephoto lens knows that it's not the easiest of tasks. Well, maybe just ladies who are wimpier than they look! So, I'll take it.
For now.
Might require another trip to Japan. ;)