The Stretch

[Marina Scarr]

This Barred Owlet had just branched the day before this was photographed. Its sibling was perched nearby. He spent an hour perched and actually lying on this stump resting. When he got up he stretched, and this was captured at the highest point. It's almost full frame so couldn't give it any more space and had no time to move b/c it took me by surprise. It's amazing how long their legs really are, and I especially like how defined the wing feathers are here. This was the best BG I could find and still get a clean shot, and I liked the owlet against the green. What a joy these owls are to watch and photograph.

Canon 1D4, Canon 500L & 1.4 @ 700mm
F6.3, 1/320sec, ISO 2500, manual mode
Fill flash with BB @ probably -2-1/3
Feisol tripod, Jobu head & flash arm

C & C always welcomed and much appreciated.

[dankearl]

I love the Owl and I would have taken this in a heartbeat…
The comp is what it is, a bit tight but fine, the BG also is what it is, where they live….

[Doug Brown]

Excellent shot Marina! Love the pose, eye contact, and habitat. Nice job with the balanced exposure!

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Nice one, Marina! I think it stole a Chinese fan from somewhere and was getting it ready for the day! :w3

[arash_hazeghi]

I love the fanned wing! cute

[keith mitchell]

Marina, never seen this pose from an Owl, would not worry one bit about the BG it shows where they live, it's a great looking image which I have enjoyed viewing.

Keith.

[gail bisson]

This is so unusual and eye catching.
Good comp and I like the diagonal line of the perch.
I am fine with the BG but would clone out the branch on the RHS.
Gail

[Sidharth Kodikal]

This owlet with the fanned tail is just amazingly cute. I had the same feedback as Gail re the branch on the RHS. I'd also clone/brighten the thin dark branch behind the head. Nice work Marina

[Satish Ranadive]

Every thing has been said about this magnificent image of owlet with stretched wing showing nice artistic design.
Great composition with nice habitat.

Regards,
Satish.

[Kristin Brown]

Awesome capture Marina! I would love to have this as mine!

[Aidan Briggs]

Well done in a tough situation Marina! Love the pose and rimlighting on the head. While the brown branches in the bg aren't ideal, I really like the texture the leaves add; much more interesting than the stereotypical solid green canvas. Still if you wanted, you could smooth it out a bit by using a large soft brush sampled from a green bg midtone color and brush over the brighter spots at low opacity.

Well done and looking forward to more!

[John Robinson]

Excellent ! Wing curve makes it.
Little owls do this with a similar leg stretch. Only ever seen them do it one wing at a time !!
Veryy well caught.
JohnR

[Joseph Przybyla]

The right place at the right time... very unique. The stretched legs and curved extended wing makes for a priceless image of the owlet. Nice capture.

[Grace Scalzo]

This is an image that I could look at for a long time, so much interest. I am totally fine with the habitat and would not alter it so as to keep it contest-eligible. :). Nature is not sterile.

[Troy Lim]

Nice image, love the stretched wing. BG does not bother me as it is the normal habitat for them.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Killer frame! Nice job of balancing the ambient with the flash - I wouldn't have been able to tell if you hadn't posted it. ISO 2500 looks pretty clean to me (and I think with the owl's type of feather you can get away with even higher ISO if you wanted)