Short-eared Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted January 18, 2011109 views10 comments

Olympus E5, 50-200, EC20, f6.6, 1/2000, ISO400, at 338mm handheld out vehicle window shooting a little upwards as the fencepost was above the roof of the vehicle.

Been way too long since I have posted anything. Mostly due to terrible light around here and not a whole lot of interesting shots with the bad weather and roads. Gonna try to catch up a little, though. Found this guy around Thanksgiving time, and it was quite cold and windy (so what's new for here). I like this guy's face as it has more white around it than most of the ones I see, and he had kind of a mean look. He had just been flying around hunting, and lit here to try to get warm again. It was much darker out than this photo lets on, and I worked at getting it lightened enough. It is also about a 40% or so crop.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on January 19, 2011 at 1:00 AM

I really like that "huddled against the cold" pose. The weathered post perch is attractive and works with the pale blue sky. Oh, good comp too David! Exposure looks great but the image is starting to hurt a little in the larger view from the crop.

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on January 19, 2011 at 9:31 AM

David, I like the overall comp. I also like the drooping wing. I agree with Gary that the detail is lacking a bit and noise is becoming a bit of an issue in the larger version. The combination of the larger crop and having to bring up the shadows makes keeping good detail and noise levels a real challenge. Keep looking for those owls. They are awesome birds.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 19, 2011 at 10:02 AM

Great pose, David. Looks like quite a bit of noise in the plumage, which seems odd at those shooting parameters. I love the head turn.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on January 19, 2011 at 10:02 AM

David,

Love the pose and the drooping wing and how the bird seems to be shrugging off the cold. I agree there seems to be a bit of noise in the larger version, possibly from lightening the frame.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Harbour on January 19, 2011 at 10:10 AM

Love seeing these owls. I like the look on the face and the general pose. You handled the background well. The snow on the perch adds to the image. Keep posting these owls!

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

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 19, 2011 at 11:06 AM

Hi Dave, Really neat pose and I like your comp and the snow on top of the perch. Agree with the noise/detail nits but it's still a nice image.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on January 19, 2011 at 2:33 PM

Terrific pose, and I really like the drooped wing. That adds interest to an already interesting species.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on January 19, 2011 at 11:55 PM

Wow, does that bird look cold. Excellent capture and comp. A bit of noise in larger version; maybe less shadow reduction and more brightening? Or maybe Short-eared Owls just have something in them that makes them hard to photograph?

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on January 20, 2011 at 2:48 AM

Very neat pose, David. I like your comp and the Snow on top of the perch !
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on January 20, 2011 at 7:02 PM

Hi David ......... Ron dudly said it so well, i'll leave it at that

Albert Darmo. Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments