Barn Owl

[John Stuelpnagel]

My first post: this image was taken last Summer and is one of the first that I processed using DPP, Photoshop CC and Neat Noise Reduction after recently reading the excellent guides by Arash on Noise Reduction and Artie on Digital Basics. Thank you Arash and Artie for your guides as they are helping me take my photography a step further.

This Barn Owl conveniently hunted for gophers during the first hour after sunrise on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara. Most of my experiences with him were muted by early morning fog. However, this morning I had perfect sunlight with the added fortune to have him fly out of the shadows near me. The grass was wet with early dew, and he is wet from diving into the grass.

Thank you in advance for looking and any comments that you may provide. I would be particularly interested in processing tips to improve the image. BTW, the background, a strand of dark vegetation that was in the shade, was almost this dark. A small amount of Curves and Contrast increased the darkness slightly. Is it too dark?

Handheld (Thank you Jim for the excellent instruction during your Idaho seminar)
5D Mark III, 600mm + 1.4X
ISO 800, f 5.6, 1/4000

[David Salem]

Nice first post John. At first, before reading your info, I thought the feathers around the face looked over processed but I can see that they are wet. Very cool that it slipped into the light for this shot.
The lit head and wing looks great and the black BG sets it off nicely. Techs and detail look nice. Well done

[gail bisson]

This is a terrific shot.
The black BG is very dramatic and works well with the spot light effect of the sun.
My only wish is for a slightly better wing position of the near ie fully down but I would take this image in a heartbeat!
I might try to get some more detail/light on the feet as well but not so much that it looks unnatural.
A beautiful first post and a warm welcome,
Gail

[Randy Stout]

John:

A big welcome to BPN! It is a great place to learn and grow as a nature photographer.

The black background works for me because it is and owl, and our mind expects darker scenes with owls (at least mine does!)

I do agree with Gail about the near wing position, and in a perfect world, I would prefer a little less merge of the head with the rear wing, but overall, a very good image!

Cheers

Randy

[John Rowell]

Can't wait to see more of your this, this is a beautiful image with great detail. The light on the head and inside of the left wing makes a most dramatic impression.

[Bill Dix]

Wow, what a great first post. Welcome and Congratulations. Wing position noted, but I'd love to have this one. Maybe just a tiny bit oversharpened.

[Satish Ranadive]

Welcome John.Wonderful image to start with. Love the flight pose on beautiful black background.Regards,Satish.

[John Stuelpnagel]

Thank you David, Gail, Randy, John, Bill and Satish for your comments on my post. It really helps me to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this photo, and use that information to critically evaluate my others. I very much appreciate it.