Barred Owl

Gallery: AvianPosted July 29, 2010213 views19 comments

I was in Florida a few weeks ago on a fishing trip with my dad. As usual I had my camera in tow & grabbed this shot near the boat ramp while we were waiting out a few threatening storms. The even light provided by the overcast conditions was perfect for this opportunity. All C&C welcome.

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on July 29, 2010 at 11:05 PM

Stunning Kirk - superb setting, light and detail

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Angela McCain on July 29, 2010 at 11:22 PM

Very nice. The tones blend perfectly. Love the moss.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Anderson on July 29, 2010 at 11:25 PM

Awesome image. Very sharp, and the moss around the owl is great. I live in Florida and have been trying to find barred owls for quite some time, to no avail. I'm jealous that you found this. Where in Florida is this?

Registered on July 1, 2009, 30 Posts, 181 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on July 29, 2010 at 11:43 PM

Scott..This was at Lake Marian in Osceola County. There were several owls calling back & forth on either side of the boat launch.

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 30, 2010 at 12:22 AM

I found it really tough to get a clean shot of these guys, as they prefer deep forest.
This is excellent - open shot, good light, and the BG of light moss and light trees is just great.
The catchlights seem a little odd, though..

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on July 30, 2010 at 12:27 AM

The setting here is very nice. I was going to suggest moving the owl out of center, but I wouldn't want to crop from either side here so I find your choice makes sense.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Muhammad Zaid Wani on July 30, 2010 at 1:34 AM

Superb shot! Very nicely done.

Registered on August 18, 2005, 23 Posts, 1406 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on July 30, 2010 at 1:58 AM

Looks like you got a real keeper and didn't even have to get in the boat. The moss and trees are a wonderful setting for this bird, great composition Kirk!!!

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Reed on July 30, 2010 at 7:50 AM

Wow... Would make a great painting...Nice Capture.

Registered on September 19, 2009, 198 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on July 30, 2010 at 8:57 AM

Great subtle lighting and I love the spanish moss... too bad about the ligther OOF areas behind the bird.

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

Comment posted by mark cillo on July 30, 2010 at 1:57 PM

Beautiful! I love the inclusion of the environment here

Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on July 30, 2010 at 6:40 PM

This is wonderful Kirk. The bird looks very good and I love that setting - I wouldn't crop it either. I'm betting this would look great as a print.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on July 30, 2010 at 7:11 PM

Love the habitat here Kirk. I like the comp as presented. These are great birds. I still have not gotten a good image of this species. I always see them in almost dark condtions.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on July 30, 2010 at 7:13 PM

Great setting Kirk! Love the spanish moss and the complimentary colors of the tree. I'd be tempted to burn the gray patch in the bg behind the bird. Really cool otherwise! His expression looks a bit worried. Good job getting a little catch light in those black eyes.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on July 30, 2010 at 7:17 PM

A wonderful image Kirk.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on July 30, 2010 at 7:19 PM

A wonderful image Kirk.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on July 30, 2010 at 10:25 PM

Thanks for all of the comments. As Richard mentioned I also questioned the placement of the owl in this comp. I have some different versions since it stayed on this perch for a minute or so. In the end I like this one that includes the spanish moss on the right and the smaller branch on the left. I like Julia's idea about burning the bright area behind the owl which I'm pretty sure is the overcast sky reflecting off of Lake Marian. I wish there would have been thicker vegetation behind the owl to hide the lake but it just wasn't so.

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on July 31, 2010 at 5:27 PM

Love the ebony eyes on this species Kirk, they stand out so well from the lighter colors of the face, I think the setting is wonderful. The spanish moss, air plants and bark patterns on the branches only add to the image. I like your comp for this photo too.

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

Comment posted by Ken Archer on August 2, 2010 at 4:59 AM

Super Sweet Photo Kirk

Ken Archer

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