First Snowy

Gallery: AvianPosted February 10, 2012251 views9 comments

Hi everyone! Last week my dad and I drove up to Calgary for a wildlife photography seminar. We came down the day before the seminar because we had heard about some very recent Snowy Owl sightings. After driving the backroads for a while my dad spotted this beautiful Snowy perched on the fencepost. I got the camera gear ready as fast as I could and focused on the Owl for a few quick images in case she flew off. We were able to get a little closer for some better pictures. I am so glad this image turned out so good because this is my first ever Snowy Owl! We ended our trip with 7 snowies, but only a few let us photograph them

. I will post my other image of this owl soon.

My dad and I were wondering what you thought of this crop. We weren't sure whether to include the 4 fenceposts seen here, 3 posts, or just 2 posts.

Thanks for viewing!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 ED VR @ 400mm
ISO 400
1/250sec @ f/8
exposure compensation set to +0.3
shot on sandbag from truck window

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on February 10, 2012 at 5:48 PM

I like this comp as posted as I think it offers a great sense of habitat. Very nicely captured Janaya.

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Caldwell on February 10, 2012 at 6:27 PM

That's really a lovely photo in general, besides being a nice owl capture!

Registered on October 10, 2011, 62 Posts, 508 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on February 10, 2012 at 7:49 PM

Big congrats on your first Snowy Jenaya. I like the pose and the rural setting. I would include a little more room on top, it feels tight to me there and I would consider cropping the post on the left (although I'm not sure on that part).

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

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on February 10, 2012 at 10:33 PM

cool shot, Jenaya. On the whole I really like the comp, but agree with Nate that a little more room on top would be an improvement.

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

Comment posted by David Haynes on February 10, 2012 at 10:37 PM

Congrats Jenaya. I have yet to photograph one of these beautiful birds. Can't wait to see more.

Registered on February 20, 2010, 110 Posts, 1511 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on February 10, 2012 at 11:46 PM

Burrrrr, it sure looks chilly out there. This is a sweet environmental snowy owl photo, great composition horizontally, but I agree with suggestions for more room up top. Nice Work Jenaya

Ken Archer

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

Comment posted by Roger Kirchen on February 11, 2012 at 12:06 AM

Lovely shot. The colors are so characteristic of rural Alberta in winter. I agree with the comments about more room at the top. And after that perhaps crop away the left post. The Snowy Owl blends so well into the picture.

Registered on March 6, 2011, 95 Posts, 847 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on February 11, 2012 at 9:50 AM

Congratulations on a very cool lifer. I like the shot a lot. I'd definitely try a little more room at the tops, and I'd at least experiment with dropping the leftmost fence post.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 12, 2012 at 5:21 PM

Nice, Jenaya. I like the inclusion of all the fence posts, though I might add a touch back on top if you have it. I like the grasses and the owl makes a nice focal point.

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