Great Horned Owlet + Alternate crop

Gallery: AvianPosted July 15, 2010167 views13 comments

Here's a baby Great Horned Owl which was taken on our Malheur trip this April. A couple of reliable and accessable Great Horned Owl nests are one of the highlights of this area in the spring. The adult female is just visible in the bg. This is cropped to about 60% of FF.

MkIII 500F4 1.4x 1/2000 F7.1 iso 640, evaluative metering at 0, handheld.

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on July 15, 2010 at 7:57 PM

Nate

I sure love the expression of the owlet! I also like the background and the open bill.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on July 15, 2010 at 8:29 PM

Here's a repost with more of a horizontal crop, I think I like this better. I wanted to show a lot of the nest but I find the dark areas at the bottom distracting. Let me know what you think.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on July 15, 2010 at 9:05 PM

Nate, if you had only posted the second version, I would have seen it as fine. However, in spite of the squarish crop the first version has more interesting compositional elements. I like how the two foreground sticks form a "V" mirroring the open mouth of the owlet. The OOF shapes in the background above him then provide a subtle echo with the V inverted over the nest. At first I wasn't sure about the oof forked limb in the upper right, but have decided that for me it adds a bit of tension to what would otherwise be a balanced comp, without it being overpowering. My vote is for the first version.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on July 15, 2010 at 9:09 PM

Great capture Nate. I remember it well. That was a great trip. I really like the open beak and the way the baby is looking directly into the camera.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on July 15, 2010 at 9:48 PM

Thanks Lon for your excellent critique and thanks for your kind words May, it was great to have you along on the trip!

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on July 16, 2010 at 2:31 AM

Cool shot, Nate. I love the expression of the chick! I do prefer the repost.
Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on July 16, 2010 at 5:18 AM

I like the 2nd version too. Nice work on this one Nate

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 16, 2010 at 10:44 AM

Love the look this little one is giving you Nate! I like the second version best

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

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on July 16, 2010 at 11:14 AM

Nice one, Nate. I prefer the slightly looser composition.

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

Comment posted by David Sparks on July 16, 2010 at 11:39 AM

Nate:
I prefer the original. I like the closer view of the owlet and I don't find anything particularly attractive or informative about what gets added in the repost.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Elwood on July 16, 2010 at 3:13 PM

Nate I think I like the first version a bit better. I would maybe clone out that OOF twig that is on the left lover corner and then tone down the brighter branch that is on the right lower area. The expression of the young one makes your eyes go directly to it so the lower part of the image is not so important. Well done!

Registered on January 15, 2010, 101 Posts, 396 Comments

Comment posted by jamie pringle on July 16, 2010 at 4:21 PM

Very cool shot Nate. I like the eye contact of the owl directly on the viewer. I prefer the first version.

Registered on August 10, 2005, 323 Posts, 1216 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on July 17, 2010 at 11:31 AM

Don't knowhow i missed this little guy! Great capture. How can you not love baby owls!

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments