Posted by Barry Southon on April 28, 2009 at 2:33 PM
We have a had a real treat over the last six weeks observing a Great Horned Owl nest and the progress of three fledglings. They have endured some amazing weather conditions in their rented location previous tenants Red tailed Hawks who were chased off. Some 30-40 feet above ground. Swaying tree top was a problem so plenty of deleted shots.
No technique advice here except possibly put this up in the European forum. They spend a lot of time on birds over there and would know them better. However let me say you've got a tough subject and this is a good start. Looks like getting an unobstructed view through the trees is a problem, keep trying you'll get there.
Posted by Aaron Szabo on April 28, 2009 at 8:41 PM
Nice catch! These are hard to find. I hope to see more.
Posted by Daniel Loomis on April 29, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Barry - With such a long lens, good long-lens technique is crucial to getting the best results. Your image is a very good one, however, you might have gotten a bit sharper image by increasing the EC +1/3 or +2/3 combined with using hand or arm pressure near the focus ring to further stablize the lens. Your face against the camera will stablize the back end sufficiently.
Look up Arthur Morris' "Birds as Art" website for details (if you haven't already). He has a downloadable .pdf file: http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm that is most helpful. It costs $20 for the download, but then the man has to make a living!
With the tree swaying in the wind, higher ISO and faster shutter speeds are needed to capture crisp images. Happily, the 1D3 has excellent noise reduction capabilities and will allow you to use ISO 800 or higher and still produce crisp, clear images.
I admire your ability to find interesting subjects to photograph. The owl with chicks is especially nice. I look forward to seeing more of your fine work.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on April 29, 2009 at 5:28 PM
A real bonus Barry. It is wonderful that you found an active nest and have been able to watch the progression of these young owls. You were up against some pretty difficult shooting conditions and still managed a very nice image. Well done! Let's see more of these three!
Discussion
4 replies1D3 plus canon 800mm still learning technique.
Any advice critique comments most welcome.
Thanks for looking.
Look up Arthur Morris' "Birds as Art" website for details (if you haven't already). He has a downloadable .pdf file: http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm that is most helpful. It costs $20 for the download, but then the man has to make a living!
With the tree swaying in the wind, higher ISO and faster shutter speeds are needed to capture crisp images. Happily, the 1D3 has excellent noise reduction capabilities and will allow you to use ISO 800 or higher and still produce crisp, clear images.
I admire your ability to find interesting subjects to photograph. The owl with chicks is especially nice. I look forward to seeing more of your fine work.