Short-eared Owl female

Outstanding, Mia. I love the feel of this image. The combination of fog and the bird looking down and somewhat pensive really sets an awesome mood to this image. I am so glad this bird is not looking at you. The face and eye area are just wonderful and I love how the feathers in the neck area blend with eachother. This image really has an other worldly look and feel. BG works so well too. If this were mine, it would hanging in a prominent spot in my home. Really exceptional.

Incredible to get this at just 350mm... What I like most about this image is the layering visible on the wing feathers... they are so neatly stacked and there are even a few drops of dew... awesome stuff.

I like it a lot. I like the head tilted down pose. It makes her look "thoughtful", at least to me it does. The perch seems just right for this shot, the BG is nice, the colors all look good together and the eye really pops from the darkness of the eye socket. Very nice.

I really like this one too. Beautiful owl with a nicely colored, complimentary BG. A very nice profile view. It doesn't bother me or detract from the image in my opinion but the perch seems a little crisper than the owl.

Mia, the softness from the fog, and the position of the owl make this exceptional.
Just lovely -

Sandy

Wonderful Photograph Mia.

Outstanding! Over the weekend I trudged the Long Island version of two tundra's looking for one of these. Congrats on your find Mia. Beautiful capture!

this is fantastic, Mia. just wonderful--the pose, the colors of the bg, the mist.... I could look at this one for a long time.

On a technical note, I'm curious about how you handle sharpening on foggy/misty shots like these. Obviously on the one hand you do not want to oversharpen but at the same time, want to bring out what detail is there. So I guess my question is, on shots like these, do you find you use a similar amount of sharpening as you do on other shots?

I love the shot, and I'm grateful for how much I've learned from your skills and vision.

Mia, The fog created a softness to the image that I like. Contemplative pose and lovely BG.I do prefer a natural perch but the post is pale and soft and goes nicely w/ the look.

Beautiful, Mia.

I was hoping you would have more post of this beauty, Mia
The mood set by the fog is exquisite and having her cooperate for 13 minutes must have been a thrill.
Great stuff!
Thanks for sharing.
Neil

Lovely post. Eye is really intense in both quality and the downward stare. I remember your other post on a similar (?same) day. I like this one even more. Fortunately for us, we don't really have to choose. We can enjoy them both. Nice to see you back.

Wonderful capture. The foggy morning provided perfect, soft, diffused light that really makes this image stand out. Your processing is spot on.

I will simply quote Charlie, "Beautiful".

Lovely image - especially the foggy atmospherics.

The foggy haze really adds to this Mia. Like the intense concentration as well

cheers
Rob

I think I may be the odd one out here, although I love the image of the bird and the pose I feel the fog is not working for me, when I look I would love to see more punch and sharpness in the image, they are such stunning birds maybe the fog would have worked for me in a more habitat image.

Love the mood here ...wonderful image ...


Balan Vinod

Like this one every bit as much as your other short-eared post..
Nothing to do but sit back & enjoy
No nits here!

My thanks for the comments thus far on my short-eared owl.

Steve, the perch does seem a bit crisper to me too, I think that is partly due to the way the fog was swirling around the owl and post. The bird was right where the sunlight touched the edge of the fog. I have some images where the post had fog in front of it and it was not as crisp as here. I'm not sure I've ever taken images before right where the fog stops so these images were a challenge. A challenge I enjoyed.

Charlie, good to see you, I have missed your images and input!

Brian, good question on my sharpening process for foggy images. For this short-eared owl image I used my normal amount of sharpening, for my previously posted image of this same owl I used my normal amount of selective sharpening, reloaded the mask and removed some of the darker areas of the plumage before applying another round of sharpening then reducing it to only 25% of my normal smart sharpening strength. The reason I removed some of the darker areas of the plumage from the mask was that I could see where noise may have started to creep in. I know that my foggy bird images will never have the amount of detail I get in better light but truthfully I don't expect it either. I always process my foggy images to retain the misty mood. Birds in a fog don't shout, they whisper.

She was an exceptional bird wasn't she Mia? - both for her beauty and for her tolerance of us. For me the effect of the fog is a plus and I'm confident that the physical softness of her feathers simply makes it difficult to get lots of detail. I love the pose you've presented here and the tones in the entire image. Excellent.

Beautifully sharp in the eye and face, Mia. I like the softness of the rest-it gives it a rather painterly feel.

I enjoy the soft, misty feel to this image Mia. The detail in the feathers and eye is terrific. I would love to observe this species. Excellent work all around.

Wonderfull and very soulfull image!!!


Dan

Serene and contemplative... not usual verbiage to describe this species, but you render it so- just lovely Mia.

I like how the owl is looking down and checking something out, always interesting to see a bird with feathers that blend and at the same time feather detail, very cool.

Lovely capture, Mia! Thanks for posting as it brought back memories of a great morning I spent at the edge of a fog with one of these Owls earlier in the year. The lighting then is just beautiful.

This looks like a fine art print - somehow Michael Dumas comes to mind.

Just beautiful!

What a beautiful image
The fog has given the image a lovely diffused look.
Well captured.

Geoff.

I love this as posted. A great subject. The fog is wonderful and gives the image an excellent mood.

Incredible! This is just gorgeous. With all the muted tones the eye really pops.

Mia,
I love the pose, the yellow eye and the misty mood. Beautiful image.

Wow! Wonderful portrait! I too love the feel of this. I'm glad you kept the softness and did not bump the contrast to change it. The color tones blend so well here. Very well done.

Julie

Killer image Mia.

Mia, congrats on another exceptional EP!
Sandy

Congrats Mia

Mia,
congratulations on another beautiful EP
I ended my birds portfolio, at least for the time being..., so I've dedicated my attention mainly to the flora gallery, but I always love your very nice pictures !
Cheers.
Mauro

Way to go Mia. EP!

Amazing all around... mood, comp, detail. Must have been a thrill to have him stay for that length of time. Congratulations on the well deserved EP!

Congrats on EP, Mia. Well deserved.

At first glance I was thinking that this lacks contrast, but then I read your description and it all made sense. Hello foggy morning.
Absolutely gorgeous! The composition, the muted colors, and those gorgeous eyes! just wonderful.

Wonderful, aesthetic shot. Congrats on the WP.

Awesome capture, Mia. The fog gives the image a wonderful feel. Congrats on the EP!

Superb, Mia. Congrats on the EP. Well deserved.