BARRED OWL AIR STRIKE - The "Tweener"

[Marina Scarr]

This photo was captured between the last two that I posted. I had not processed it but, after all of your positive comments on the other two, thought it might be worth another look. If anything, it adds to the story but b/c only the Red-shouldered Hawk is visible, I personally don't find it as powerful. Please do tell me how you feel. If you've seen all 3 of them, please tell me which you find to be the most powerful.

Canon 1D3, Canon 70-200L F4 IS & 1.4 @ 280mm
Canon 7.1, 1/1250sec, ISO 640, manual mode
Handheld

Thank you all in advance for all of your thoughtful critiques and kind comments.

Marina Scarr
Florida Master Naturalist
www.marinascarrphotography.com (http://www.marinascarrphotography.com)



<iframe width="468" height="60" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://mer54715.datafeedfile.com/widget/aff_widget_prdt_generate-2.0.php?aff_num=10536&aff_net=1&widget_num=1879"><p>Sorry your browser does not support iFrame</p></iframe>

[Melissa Groo]

What an exciting series you've shared here, Marina, it's been such a pleasure to see them. For me your first one is the most riveting due to the poses, eye contact (of the birds to each other) and esp the glare of the owl. The second is technically better due to the sharpness on both birds, and is also a stunner. This one my eye has a hard time figuring out what's going on and so I don't feel quite as engaged. Will be interesting to hear what others have to say.
Thanks for sharing these with us, what a treat.

[Andrew Merwin]

Marina, I agree with Melissa. That said, I think the series would be best presented in chronological order as a short photo essay. While each photo is excellent for different reasons, as a photo essay, I think the series has more impact. Regardless, it was a truly remarkable encounter & I thank you for sharing it with us.

[gail bisson]

Hi Marina,
Great series.
I prefer this one the best. Technically it is the sharpest and that appeals to me.
It shows the actual moment of impact which I also like. I like the visible owls feet as well and the hawks head tucked under the owl's wing.
However, since I know the story from viewing the other 2 shots I am not sure if this would be my favorite because it is hard to figure out what is going on.
So without a reference point the second would be my favorite but knowing the story #3 is my favorite.
Gail

[Joe Senzatimore]

From a technical stand point, this is a super image. had it not been for the naration , it would be difficult to tell what is going on. Not having seen the other images yet , I can't claim a fav. Will look at the others , then add my 2 cents.:t3

[Jack Breakfast]

Marina, I like the other ones better for the reasons already well-stated above. This photo is visually appealing, yes, but without the context provided by a) your words or b) the other photographs in the series, it lacks punch! Agree wholeheartedly that you've got a fine triptych on your hands; well done.

[Frank Schauf]

A great dynamic image, congratulations.

[Satish Ranadive]

Marina:
Great series of aerial combat between Hawk and owl.I like all the three.I can see here the huge legs of owl as compare to thin one of hawk.
Rest,colors,sharpness,lights are superb.

Regards,
Satish.

[Bill Dix]

Marina, as others have said, this one is technically great, but difficult to understand without the context. For that reason I prefer #3 chronologically. Great series. It must have been fun to witness, and great reaction to capture it.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Still a fan of the first post. This one is a little more abstract which is cool too but definately like the first two lots

[Karl Egressy]

It is still an nice interactionpicture, Marina.

It is true that the first two were the stars of the series. This one however, tells us the the fight was pretty serious.
There is some drama behind those entangled wings, tails feathers.

[Dan Busby]

What a sequence Marina. This one is interesting in that you can see three legs - the best clue that there is something strange going on here! That nice sharp hawk face and eye catch really make this one a contender from my pov.

[John Cooper]

A dramatic series of this encounter Marina - They all tell a powerful story but I'm still leaning to your second post as my prefered composition. I admire how you were able to track the series of events and how well the 70-200 F4 L IS with the 1.4 converter kept track of the action so well. I just dug out my 70-200 F4 L IS lens to give it a work-out :S3:

[Shawn Zierman]

Viewed on it's own, I'm drawn to the light quality and action...but left wondering what exactly is going on.
Presented with the other two in a triptych, this image would make perfect sense, need no explanation, and
would compliment the other two images nicely.