Black and White Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted April 6, 2016118 views6 comments

I've been looking for this species for three years, and finally was able to find and photograph it last month during my Costa Rica trip. For some reason, most owls always end up being smaller than I envision, and this species is no exception. It's a medium-sized owl, not much different from a short-eared or long-eared in terms of size. Obviously, it looks way cooler though. enlightened

Not the best setting, but it was a rare instance when it was closer to the ground (these owls often perch close to lit roads at night, which helps them hunt for insects), so it was nice to get it closer to eye level.

Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm
ISO 3200
1/40th
f/4
(Flashlight supplementing the "streetlights" near the road where we found it, no flash)

Max

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 6, 2016 at 12:09 PM

Nice job on your special find, Max. Easy enough to get rid of those pesky oof branches behind the bird should you choose to do so. Interesting lighting method, but Owls are pretty good at holding still.

devil

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

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 6, 2016 at 1:45 PM

Dennis, I occasionally do use some flash with owls for short periods, but we tried lighting it with a white LED light (supposed to be a little less stressful toward some animals), which in this case eliminated any red eye as well. It was an interesting experiment, and in this case the results were okay. Obviously I could clone out branches if I wanted for the sake of "art," but when it comes to documentation I prefer to avoid overt manipulation and illustration.

This was one of five different species I saw during my trip, including three new ones. It was a good month for owls!

Max

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

Comment posted by Pete Bengeyfield on April 7, 2016 at 9:10 AM

You lose the top of the head against the BG, but that's pretty minor. Very nice.
Congratulations on the Yellowstone contest!

Registered on December 2, 2003, 1247 Posts, 3439 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on April 7, 2016 at 11:53 AM

This really is a "cool" looking species! Nice job on the lighting.

I totally understand your stance on documentary photography. (Cloning is frowned upon by one of the publications that uses my work.) I like your comp here, but I wonder if it might be OK to selectively adjust exposure a bit to tone down the highlights on the branches on the left. The glare and the shape of the branches tends to lead my eye away from the owl, and out of the frame.

Good work, and congrats on the successful trip.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 8, 2016 at 12:40 AM

Thanks Pete. Wayne, I definitely noticed the harsh sheen on the branches, and toned them down prior to posting, but I agree it might benefit from even less glare. It will be interesting to examine some of the other shots from this series (if I can ever find the time between trips) to see if there are better options in regards to lighting (even if I have to remove some red eye).

Max

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

Comment posted by Jefferson Silva on April 9, 2016 at 3:34 PM

Nice image, and very interesting light conditions.
Well done on your find...

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