Burrowing Owl revisited

Gallery: AvianPosted April 18, 2010118 views12 comments

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)

Place: Maricopa, AZ, USA
When: April 14, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), monopod from car window
ISO 200, aperture priority matrix meter @ -2/3 ec, 1/1000th @ F/5.6
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, minor crop from for proportion

I wasn’' happy with the harsh light in my previous post of a Burrowing Owl, so I made a return visit 10 days later and a few hours earlier in the day to try again. There wasn't any owl on the dirt mound I'd found one on previously, but one bird was on the ground behind the mound. I got my Toyota within 30 feet of the bird and took a lot of frames until it finally moved into a little better position a little closer to me.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Larger image fro critical viewing provided.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Joel DeYoung on April 18, 2010 at 2:56 PM

Glad you went back.

I just love those eyes. Nice off center composition and I really like the side lighting. Well done.

Registered on July 12, 2009, 92 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on April 18, 2010 at 4:04 PM

Rich, I love everything going on in this image. The dirt out front, vege in the back, and the bird. Great side light provides nice affect IMO. The exposure and sharpness look great and I like the comp. Very well done.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on April 18, 2010 at 5:55 PM

Nice work Rich, light on the eye makes this strong

- Luke

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on April 18, 2010 at 9:14 PM

Nice detail and light in this. I like the one legged stance. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on April 18, 2010 at 10:08 PM

Hi Richard, I didn't see the last one since I haven't been here for a bit but this one is awesome. Perfect techs as always.

The sidelight adds some depth to this.

Peter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 18, 2010 at 10:38 PM

Wow, the larger view especially just jumps off the screen in a 3d manner. Lots of good light with nice highlights.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on April 18, 2010 at 10:55 PM

I like your use of side light in ths one Richard. The pose is classic!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on April 19, 2010 at 9:16 AM

love the light, setting, and your comp. very nice.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on April 19, 2010 at 10:10 AM

Very nice, Rich. Good use of sidelighting.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on April 19, 2010 at 3:28 PM

I really like the angle of light on this, at first I thought the owl was winking at you but realized it is just the way the shadow comes across the head. The look and the one leg up add to a very nice exposure, plus I like the transition in ground going from dirt to grass/weeds. Well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on April 19, 2010 at 6:06 PM

Neat shot, Richard. I like the brown tones in the image. The owl is a great subject, I like his pose and the look he is giving you. Nice inclusion of a bit of habitat.

Registered on January 4, 2008, 113 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on April 20, 2010 at 12:43 AM

Looks like a nice low angle yet I wish there wasn't a shadow over the one eye. I like your dof as well.

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments