Screech Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted February 1, 2015160 views15 comments

Hi,

I photographed this gray morph screech owl this week in a tree that I used to find him in last year. I tried a head-on shot last week but he ducked into his hole before I could focus, so this time I tried on an angle a bit farther away. This owl roosts in a tree about 5 feet from the edge of a busy road. I shoot him from a beanbag from the car window with the car turned off and I hold my breath when pressing the button and lean my left arm onto the lens. Even doing this its not easy to get a sharp shot always.

Canon EOS 5D MIII
Canon 500mm f/4 + 1.4xTC

Aperture Priority | f/6.3 | 1/250S | ISO 800 EV+1/3

I cropped about 20% off the top and bottom. It was shot as a vertical.

I had a hard time keeping the image quality high on these because there is so much detail in the tree bark. I had to do some color balance work too because there was some magenta in the tree and then some green cast too so I hope I got it closer to how it really was.

My question is about shooting a subject that only shows one eye. I think sometimes it works, but I am wondering if you think it works with this photo. I wanted to have him leaning out more, but I kinda liked how it ended up with only one eye showing. Please let me know what you think. Thanks so much, Ashleigh

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on February 1, 2015 at 12:36 PM

Looks OK to me Ashley. I like the inclusion of the second hole. I think with just the one eye it conveys an air of inquisitiveness which is appealing. I feel a little colour in the bark wouldn't go amiss, but if this is how it was then fine. Pleasing shot
John

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Ashleigh Scully on February 1, 2015 at 12:37 PM

Thank you so much for commenting so quickly!

Registered on November 4, 2013, 36 Posts, 210 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on February 1, 2015 at 12:58 PM

Having a screechie peer around the corner is excellent. I like this composition and agree with John's comments about the picture....................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 1, 2015 at 1:47 PM

Nice capture Ashleigh. I like how the owl mirrors the texture of the tree bark. Camouflage at its best. Well seen and well captured.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on February 1, 2015 at 1:49 PM

Ashleigh, I think the one eye showing does work in this situation. Gives you that feeling of it peeking out to see who's there. Colors and comp look good to me. I don't see anything to change.

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on February 1, 2015 at 1:52 PM

I like the result - the one-eye adds to the image IMO, peeking at what's going on is what these birds do ! Well-captured ! Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on February 1, 2015 at 2:27 PM

Only thing I wish this image had was a look at both eyes. Creative composition and I love the colors.

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on February 1, 2015 at 3:14 PM

I like the comp on this Ashleigh and have no issue at all with one eye. It tells more of a story for this shot. He is obviously unsure about things and checking around the corner of his nest. I don't think it would have the same impact with both eyes, so I think it was a solid decision. I also like he inclusion of the second hole...it helps to balance out the image.

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on February 2, 2015 at 1:45 AM

Ashleigh, your work astonishes me. The "peek-a-boo" effect works very well, and combined with the coloration tells a great story. First rate stuff!

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on February 2, 2015 at 2:02 AM

Ashleigh,
The "one eye" makes this "different" which for me makes the shot a lot more interesting. The camouflage makes this a difficult shot, but it is real

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 2, 2015 at 8:09 AM

Ashleigh, this is excellent. I really like the comp you chose. The one eyed look works well for me, especially with the way the owl is leaning slightly out of the hole to check you out.

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

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on February 2, 2015 at 5:37 PM

I like this, Ashleigh.
I like the way the owl looks to be hiding from you...

Registered on December 18, 2012, 162 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on February 2, 2015 at 5:44 PM

Another wonderful photo of this owl Ashleigh, way to go taking advantage of this great photo opportunity. I love this composition and the one eyed stare.

Sweet One

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on February 2, 2015 at 6:52 PM

Because it's peeking out, just one eye works fine, I think.

Since sharpness seems to be a concern, I do think you could bump the ISO a bit to produce faster shutter speeds. The 5DIII can handle it!

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on February 5, 2015 at 1:28 AM

Nice one Ashley - really like the setting with the two hollows

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments