Burrowing Owl juvenile

Gallery: AvianPosted February 4, 2011465 views25 comments

Athene cunicularia

This was taken in 2009 at a site that Ron Dudley and I spent a great deal of time at photographing these juvenile burrowing owls. This bird was perched on an ugly cement object so I decided to go for a more intimate head shot to remove that ugly cement. This was taken in early morning light but there was a sufficient amount of it so I reduced my ISO as the subject was static to show as much detail as possible.

D200, lens resting on a noodle, f8, 1/350, ISO 250, 0.0 EV, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, auto WB, pattern metering, aperture priority, natural light, not baited and not a set up. About 50% of the original frame cropped from a horizontal to vertical presentation.

When I look at this full sized I can see the truck in the center of the pupil that we were using as a mobile blind. I could have tried to use more dof for this image but I was concerned about my shutter speed dropping too low and I like how the dof here gives a depth to the bird. Larger version posted to show details & sharpness.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your comments & critiques on my images. Thank you for looking.

Comments

25 comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on February 4, 2011 at 9:04 AM

Wonderful eye -actually both- you got just enough of its right eye. Love the light/shadow and the color of the near one. As always a pleasure to view.

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Charlie VanTassel on February 4, 2011 at 9:09 AM

The lighting really shows off the fine details in this one, Mia. I also think that the Owl looking off to the side instead of directly into the lens works better for this portrait. I like the background too.

Registered on October 18, 2006, 644 Posts, 4801 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on February 4, 2011 at 9:29 AM

That big eye with its beautiful detail is what strikes me first about this image, Mia. The lighting shows the detail in the bird wonderfully well too. I like how the dof effect is combined with the shadow. It's a much more gentle effect than dof alone.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on February 4, 2011 at 9:45 AM

Mia: Beautiful portrait of this little guy. Larger version shows you did very well at 1/350 with excellent sharpness. I understand about the crop to create a more intimate head shot. For me, the space at the top is a little too much. I'd crop in even tighter.

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

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on February 4, 2011 at 9:46 AM

Beautiful capture, Mia. That eye is really magnetic ! I like very much the compositin, the exposure and the detail. The degradant BG is superb. I do not think that more DOF would have improved such a nice image.

Mauro

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

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on February 4, 2011 at 10:20 AM

Exquisite light and great detail. A super nice portrait. I agree with Keith about a little off the top. Again, your images never fail to please! This is hard to explain..you have a way of making them look soft, but still retain all the details. I guess it's mostly the light you shoot in, but it's a quality in your images I love. (The soft was meant in a good way...hope you know what I mean

) Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on February 4, 2011 at 10:53 AM

I find this one to be not only an excellent portrait of the owl but also an excellent portrait of light. Fantastic, really, how you managed to capture the feeling of morning in the grasslands with just the owl. I am very impressed

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on February 4, 2011 at 11:05 AM

Thank you all for the comments thus far on this burrowing owl image, I especially appreciate the comments on composition as I wondered and struggled a bit with the comp on this one.

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

Comment posted by Maurizio De Vita on February 4, 2011 at 11:17 AM

I am amazed at how you captured the gentle touch of golden light. Perhaps I would have liked a bit more of space for the eyes to look into, but this just matter of taste. It is a superb portrait. Really!

Registered on August 26, 2008, 11 Posts, 66 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on February 4, 2011 at 11:52 AM

Wonderful light. Nice detail. I prefer full body shots of this species but like this variation as posted.

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

Comment posted by Darren Colello on February 4, 2011 at 12:18 PM

Exceptional detail Mia. This image is wonderfully engaging, well done!!!

Registered on July 27, 2009, 175 Posts, 1100 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 4, 2011 at 12:39 PM

great light, pose, and details, Mia. love the bg too. The comp here doesn't work that well for me, too much empty space at the top. I think it would look good as a squarish comp with roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of the empty space taken off the top, and also possibly as a horizontal with the same amount off the top and some more on the left (with perhaps a bit on the right if needed for balance).

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on February 4, 2011 at 1:06 PM

I like this a lot, Mia. Usually owls give us very intent looks/stares, but this one really has a calmness about it. Wonderful detail, and I like the side view also.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on February 4, 2011 at 1:33 PM

Mia, gorgeous and most intimate! Love the detail you got in the eye.

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on February 4, 2011 at 3:47 PM

Wonderful capture Mia, I love the feather detail but the real icing on this cake is the eye, iris detailed.
Congrats!

Registered on March 30, 2008, 416 Posts, 2885 Comments

Comment posted by Karen Summers on February 4, 2011 at 3:56 PM

stunning eye a lovely shot

Registered on December 3, 2009, 83 Posts, 818 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on February 4, 2011 at 4:14 PM

Shadow and light on this are perfect Mia. Love the depth it creates. Nice warm light and great detail as usual. BG is perfect. No nits here.

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

Comment posted by May Haga on February 4, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Beautiful capture Mia. Wonderful detail in the feathers and a great look at its eye.
May

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

Comment posted by Rohn B. McKee on February 4, 2011 at 6:58 PM

Amazing sharpness and detail Mia
Very

Registered on November 18, 2008, 109 Posts, 415 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on February 5, 2011 at 12:51 AM

What beautiful detail and lighting Mia - well done

cheers
Rob

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

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on February 5, 2011 at 2:04 AM

Lovely portrait with the lighting give a good sense of depth.

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 5, 2011 at 2:32 AM

Great choice for the close-up portrait. That eye is striking. Nice pose, fine detail, and BG.
Being VERY nit-ish,

I'd suggest that you might consider removing that bright bit of grass or whatever-it-is from the beak.
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Marc Dubuc on February 5, 2011 at 11:06 AM

Excellent picture! I like it as posted.

Registered on January 4, 2011, 59 Posts, 229 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on February 5, 2011 at 10:42 PM

Hi Mia

A superb closeup, with extraordinary detail, light and color!! Marvelous eye capture

Albert Darmo. Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on February 6, 2011 at 3:05 AM

Hi Mia. Image quality is excellent, the colors and detail are "bang-on". Very nice background with some very sweet light on the owl. When I first looked at the photo I was a bit perplexed at the partial owl, I guess I'm like Richard and prefer full-body poses generally. Completely understand your rationale with him standing on a less than esthetic perch. Might take a bit more off the top with this crop. I am going to try for this species again this summer I hope, never seen one yet.

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