Avian - 1st HM

Hi David:

This is a very special image. The habitat shown makes this image shine. Your placement of the owl in your composition seems to work very well. That said, I did a little playing with slightly different compositions and see many options that I liked. One was to crop from the left over to the trees just to eliminate some of that background. For me it made me stay in the image and really enjoy the owl in that amazing moss covered tree. Just a thought. I really like this image a LOT.

I like this one a lot too. The mossy surroundings and different hues of greens and grays add a real sense of the remote and solitary nature of the Owl's habitat. I think that the DOF is perfect as the Owl's immediate surroundings are sharp and it draws you right in to the subject. Very nice.

Neat image David.
May

What an awesome looking place

Cracking overall image.

I could nit pick but i wont, i'll just enjoy

I really like your composition. Wonderful shot.

Congrats

D&L

Great photo of this owl and a sterling composition. The owl is easily ID'd with lots of detail but placing it in it's environment gives it so much more power and story telling appeal. Lovely mood and color palette.

Beautful, I have Barred Owls in my back yard here in Northern Virginia. Looks a bit different from this.. I love watching these guys,, nicely done!

That's quite a beauty. I like the comp and atmosphere you have here. The owl is very cool but the mossy-hung trees and the overall light and setting really make the picture. This is probably just my monitor but I see a cyan cast to the picture. Maybe the moss actually is cyan colored I don't know but it seems to be in the owls feathers too. If I'm right it's an easy fix. If I'm wrong, sorry. either way it's a real sweet shot.

Wow this is great! Spot on IMO!

This is a real beauty David A terrific habitat photo, and the owl stands out very nicely in this composition.
Awesome Photograph!!!

Ken Archer

The perfect Barred Owl habitat shot - just beautiful.

Love this! great composition, incredible setting. really a beautiful image, David.

The larger view is just beautiful.

Awesome. A fine bird in a wonderful setting. An image that makes me want to be there.

superb. my only slight regret is the epiphyte on the left is not sharply in focus. it would have made for an interesting counterpoint to the owl (but of course then many folks may have seen it as a distraction!!)

Excellent setting you have here - since we do not have these kind of ecosystems here, it looks like a fairytale setting to me . Like to soooo much... Cheers, Hans

Wonderful presentation!

Excellent natural background and composition.

Beautiful habitat shot.
Sandy

Cool image for sure. Like the "epic" scale.

I absolutely LOVE this image. Owls make great photographic subjects because those large eyes draw the viewer in every time. Couple that with the inclusion of this "typical" habitat and this is very unique and special. I would love to spend time photographing in the swamps of South Louisiana. Thanks for sharing!

This is awesome, David. I can't think of a better scene to demonstrate these owls and there habitat in Louisiana. Superb.

Love the depth of the background. The owl looks wonderful in its habitat. Beautiful image,

Ray

A wonderful image.

Hi David,
This is beautiful, I like the way you have included the owls environment. The eye contact and the color of the tree moss bring it all together.

Wonderful, wonderful composition, David. Your usual excellent techs, but it's the composition that makes the photo. Congratulations on a well-deserved EP.

Congrats on the WP - excellent image.
Sandy

I like the Spanish moss and Cypress trees almost as much as the owl. Lovely

Fantastic! A wonderful capture. Excellent work...as usuall for you, David. Congrats on the WP too.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Superb! Sorry I didn't post on this one before! Congrats on a very well deserved pick! Sharon

Wow, I love all the habitat! Really cool comp, and nice depth of field. Congrats on the weekly pick!

Very well done! Good use of depth of field. Amazing how the moss colors match that of the owl, especially around the eyes. Like other members have stated, good placement and portion size of the owl to the rest of the scene.

Beautiful colors, mood and comp.. Ron

Congrats ! Well deserved ! Cheers, Hans

Congrats on the cover shot! Well deserved...this is so cool!

Congratulations on the cover shot, richly deserved for this. A beautiful image from the habitat to the owl to the way it is composed.

Awesome.

David, congrats on the 2012 "1st Honorable Mention - Avian" win - this is a very exceptional image, for a number of reasons. Glad it won!

Sandy

Congratulations on the EPA, David! A wonderful shot!

I've loved image you captured from the day you first shared it. Easy to look at it for minutes on end. Congrats of the 1st place HM.

Congratulations, David. A very cool habitat image. The lines are really nice.