Great Gray at Sunrise

Gallery: AvianPosted February 16, 20182,135 views13 comments

One morning last week, I was on the computer, and noticed that there was some nice color in the clouds, just before sunrise. I took a picture (with my phone!) out the living room window to the north, then looked out the west window, and there was this Great Gray Owl, sitting on a spruce tree on the west side of the yard.
I didn't figure there was any chance it would stay, but I quickly put on some warmer clothes (it was -7 degrees F) and grabbed my camera. I had to go out the other side of the house and around to the south side to take the picture, hoping that it was still there. The snow was really crunchy, so there was no way to be quiet. The faint pinkish-orange of the clouds is just barely visible in this image, and there definitely was a blue-ish tinge to the snow.
We have owls around, but not that often in the backyard. It was looking all around, especially down into the trees and bushes, and it stayed there for 15-20 more minutes, then flew to the other side of the house and sat in a tree for a bit there, before continuing on its way. What a beautiful bird!

Canon 5d mkii, 100-400L lens at 400 mm, ISO 1000, 1/400 sec, F 5.6
Cropped the image by about half, and lightened it some.

All comments and critiques are appreciated; I am NOT much of an avian photographer........more into the landscapes....that don't fly away.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Norma Tareila Matl on February 16, 2018 at 8:29 AM

Genny you nailed it, I like how he sits right on top of that evergreen tree and how you framed it to keep the other tree branches from blocking his head outline. Very nice capture. Isn't the excitement of capturing a beautiful owl all worth it. The colors certainly tell me the outdoor temps were very cold. You get that pink blue in the air when it dips below zero. He didn't mind. I feel the same about avian photography can be challenging and there are so many avian experts here on NPN but you nailed this one. It is a beautiful bird and you conveyed that very well. Thank you for reaching for your camera and going into the cold. Amazing 20 minutes with this Great Gray Owl!

Registered on October 27, 2016, 229 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by biraj sarkar on February 16, 2018 at 8:59 AM

excellent!!!

Registered on January 17, 2018, 17 Posts, 20 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on February 16, 2018 at 9:50 AM

Lucky to have one of these in your yard.Beautiful bird and image. The sky is really nice.

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

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on February 16, 2018 at 10:15 AM

A lovely encounter to be sure. Good for you. Maintaining the tones in the sky is a good choice, the but owl sure needs to have more more light on it. I played very quickly and made a selection of the owl to use as a mask to lighten just the owl. It really helped out the image.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Snead on February 16, 2018 at 10:32 AM

Oh gosh Genny. This is just lovely. I like everything about it. I do agree with Keith that you need more light on that owl. I use lightroom and the radial tool would be perfect. It doesn't need a ton , just a bit.

Good work!

Registered on April 6, 2017, 104 Posts, 397 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 16, 2018 at 2:33 PM

Excellent, Genny. I really love your composition and the hint of pink in the bg. Those yellow eyes really pop in the large version. I don't know if it would get too gaudy, but I think you could get away with buming up the saturation on the bg to bring the pink out just a bit more and possibly add a touch of light to the beak which appears just short of obtaining a soft glow. Iether way, a lovely image that anyone in the Avian gallery would be proud of.

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

Comment posted by Genny K. on February 16, 2018 at 2:53 PM

Thanks for the comments everyone. I didn't know how much I should lighten it. I had lightened it up some, but I did not do the bird by itself, except for using Hignlights/Shadows. There was such a soft color to the snow and sky, I didn't want to mess that up. Looking at it again just now, though, the owl does look dark, and that OOF spruce branch at the very bottom bothers me. Thnx for the suggestions.

Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on February 17, 2018 at 12:09 AM

What a treat. Must be tough getting Great grays in the yard. enlightened

It's really a lovely setting, and I like that you maintained the color in the sky by not overbrightening (though I see Keith's point about trying to bring out a bit more detail in the owl itself). I really like the frosty branches, but I wouldn't mind a slight crop from the bottom (maybe around that gap in the perch tree), in order to put the owl a bit lower in the frame so the viewer's eye isn't drawn to the space beneath.

Max

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

Comment posted by Ry Birge on February 17, 2018 at 10:08 AM

What a great shot! Super pose making it a great composition. Might consider brightening the owl a bit to make it pop. Keep up the good work

Registered on September 23, 2017, 118 Posts, 278 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on February 18, 2018 at 12:30 PM

Amazing image, the circumstance couldn't be better I'd say. You could try Keith's suggestion to lighten up the owl a bit - but I like it as presented ! A winner ! Cheers, Hans

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

Comment posted by David Schoen on February 18, 2018 at 1:37 PM

I also agree that this is a very good image. Definitely a good experience. I do think the owl could be lightened up a bit. But despite that one small nit, you did a terrific job with the processing. Fill flash might have helped in this situation but you risk scaring the owl.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Genny K. on February 18, 2018 at 2:44 PM

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, everyone.
Interestingly, the next evening, when I went out to plug in the heater on my truck, I heard an owl hooting, faintly. Another one of those sounds, like the call of a loon, that is wonderful to hear.
I was lucky that I just happened to look out the window in that direction that morning! Maybe I ought to make a habit of doing that.

Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on February 21, 2018 at 3:33 PM

The owl could be lightened some, but in a way I like this image just as it is. I think the dark owl plays well against the snowy surroundings, and the slightly pinkish cast adds to it. Sure glad you looked out the window. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments