Owl portrait

Gallery: POP PhotosPosted December 12, 2013169 views8 comments

When I encountered this spectacular Great Horned Owl, I thought there was no way in a million years I would get the shot. I had recently acquired my first DSLR, a Canon T3i, and other than the kit lens that came with it, an 18-55, I had an ancient Canon telephoto lens that was almost 25 years old and had not been out of the bag in about 20. The lighting was rather poor, and I could barely see him shooting through some obstructions. I almost fell over when after a couple of tries I looked at this beautiful shot staring back at me from my LCD screen. It is the only wall hanger I have had processed in my short 5 month career with digital photography.

Shot at f4.5, 1/25, 120mm, ISO 3200

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 13, 2013 at 7:03 AM

Sandy,

Is this Hoo2 from the aviary Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in South St Pete?

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

Comment posted by Sandy Scott on December 13, 2013 at 7:42 AM

No Mia, I have never been there but my significant other told me about that place. I definitely have to put a visit there on my "to do" list! Owl encounters seem so rare and I love them so if they have creatures like Hoo2 there, I certainly need to visit.

Registered on December 6, 2013, 85 Posts, 345 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on December 13, 2013 at 7:52 AM

This is a captive bird though, isn't it?

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

Comment posted by Sandy Scott on December 13, 2013 at 8:16 AM

Mia, the bird is a recovering bird at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, which is probably the biggest such operation in the country.

Registered on December 6, 2013, 85 Posts, 345 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on December 13, 2013 at 9:26 AM

So nice to be able to see a bird like this. Unfortunately, for your photo, the reflections of windows/tv's? in the eyes really distract for me. Increasing the aperture would have helped to get the ear tufts in focus. Sharon

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

Comment posted by Sandy Scott on December 13, 2013 at 9:48 AM

Sharon, thanks for your input - It was almost an impossible shot in that I was trying to shoot though some slats and I could barely get the bird in my viewfinder and I was primarily interested in tack sharp eye focus. It is actually my reflection in his eyes. You had to be there to understand what I was up against. Almost every way I turned the camera, I was barely able to see the bird and I was thrilled with the result under the conditions.

Registered on December 6, 2013, 85 Posts, 345 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on December 14, 2013 at 2:12 AM

Very nice portrait! It's a joy to be able to be this close to a raptor, and it's very tough to get good images like this with all the stuff around.
Any captive or zoo bird needs to be posted in the POP gallery, though - I know you're pretty new (welcome!) and just didn't know this -
from the Avian Gallery guidelines:
"Photos taken of captive birds at zoos and wildlife rehabilitation centers may be posted in the POP Gallery - please disclose the name of the facility where the photo was taken, as well as any other information that would be of value to those interested in wildlife conservation and education."
Sandy

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

Comment posted by Sandy Scott on December 14, 2013 at 8:15 AM

Sorry Sandy, of all my zillions of bird shots in my short photographic career, this is my only captive bird. I was not aware, but have now read the rules regarding that. I must have missed it when I went over the guidelines. Interestingly, this bird was tucked way up in the corner of a dark enclosure, barely able to be seen with my naked eye. I was trying to shoot through vertical slats upward, and mostly kept getting white slats in the viewfinder partially blocking the owl. I finally found one tiny spot that gave me an open shot and based on the lighting and the difficulty just trying to get the bird framed, I did literally almost fall over when I saw the above result!

Registered on December 6, 2013, 85 Posts, 345 Comments