Barn owl

[Steve Kaluski]

I have taken many shots like this a while back, but this guy had been floating around the farm yard for a few days, so with the help of Andrew, (the farmer), we popped up some hay bails in the hope the Barn owl would take the bait and pose nicely. I parked up the mobile blind (the car) and waited, and waited and waited... eventually before I nodded off, he finally showed up. A few frames and then he was off, probably spooked by the shutter.

This was taken shortly before coming out to CA, so I'm posting remotely. Sadly we have the snow here, 10 inches in the past 48hrs, 28 in the past 7 day, lovely jubbly, but no Snowy's in this location sadly:bugeyed:

Thanks for the previous comments.

Cheers
Steve

Subject: Barn owl in hay bail (Tyto alba)
Location: UK
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: 200-400f/4 HH
Exposure: 1/500s at f/5.6sec ISO400 -0.33 EV Comp

[Norm Dulak]

Very nice, Steve. The penetrating eyes really capture the viewer. Feather definition, composition, color, sharpness and general interest are all very good. TFS!

[gail bisson]

I just love this image.
The comp is great, the hay very pleasing to the eye and the way the owl pops against the hay is fabulous!
10 out of 10 from me and not a single nit!!
Gail

[Bill Jobes]

What I like the most about this image, other than the owl, is the light.

The subdued look is perfect for the hay and the bird.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Lovely image, love the expression on the owl. The hay bale works well.

[Troy Lim]

Love the shot...nicely done. Your patience paid off.

[Iain Barker]

Love the amount of detail in the feather. The bales make the owl stand out well.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Congrats on the success of the plan and getting the shot. Looks well exposed and I like your choice of dof

[Randy Stout]

Steve:

One of the most beautiful of owls, well exposed, sharp, and of course the hay fits his bio!

I could see a version cropped to move him up to the right just a bit, personal taste.

Nice job.

Cheers

Randy

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice job setting up and using your patience to wait for it. I love the "peek-a-boo" pose, and the hay bale surroundings work quite nicely. I'd look into boosting the saturation a bit more but it is working fine as is too.

[Raymond Lee]

Nice focus and details! Great peek-a-boo shot!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

You've knocked this one out of the park Steve. Love it! I'd probably move the bird a bit more to the right. Excellent stuff!!

[keith mitchell]

Hi Steve, your Owl really stands out against the straw, as already mentioned the light is superb bring out the clarity of the feathers and the facial disc, think excellent describes your image well.
Keith.:S3::S3::S3:

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Steve, great one.
Like the framed owl look combined with your general great PP work :5.
Lovely colors an tonal range.Good job on the whites.Your patience paid off , was the blind a BMW? If so, that has helped …………..:w3.

TFS Andreas

[Jonathan Ashton]

Super shot Steve lovely details in the plumage, your patience was duly rewarded.

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Steve, this is one amazing image. 5Stars all the way. So how was it shooting with the 200-400 L?

[Steve Kaluski]

WOW folks thanks for all the replies, I only had two notifications, so apologies, however a huge thanks to ALL for the kind words. :wave:

Dan, you could well be right, thanks.



was the blind a BMW?
Indeed Andreas, the new one is hopefully on route for me to take delivery once back. :cheers:



So how was it shooting with the 200-400 L?

Sanjeev I've been shooting with it off & on for some time now and enjoy it, especially the drop in extender, but May/June will be the real test bed I hope. :w3

[David Salem]

Very nice capture and the detail and exposure control look perfect. Nice scene, comp and pose too. Love it. Well done Steve.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Steve!

A late reply from me and so much has already been said, but I am so taken with the detail in the whites/feathers here and exposure is just perfect. Love the inquisitive pose from the subject:w3

…snow? cold? err…it's time you come to South Africa:w3:bg3::t3

Warmest regards,

[William Dickson]

Fantastic image Steve, well done capturing this beautiful owl :S3: