Little Owl on a snowy evening

[dennis greenwood]

A image i have been after for years ,and not an easy one to achieve ,mainly because i have to try and take my chance when the snow arrives and i do work full time which makes it more difficult .
I have tried in previous years when we have had heavy snow but not had much success, as the Owl as not normaly ventured out when we have had heavy snow ,however on this ocassion it was actualy British summertime and i had a few more hours to play with when the snow arrived ,just a case of getting to the site and sitting it out for the evening in hope he would visit as this was the second day of snow ,the first day i didnt get a visit from the bird in daylight ,but the bird did land on the perch when it came in at dusk ...
Never one to give up i left my hide etc in situ all ready for the next night of which i got thier after a early finish at work....
Canon 1dmkiv 300mm at f4 iso 1250 1/80sec +1 ev 166539

[Mike Hitchen]

I think that is well worth the effort. Well done!

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Dennis, persistence pays off, and you certainly got your shot. Love the eye contact, falling snow, and the snow covered curled perch. I feel the central placement works well, and if this were mine, I would probably lighten the eyes a touch. Comp wise, maybe coming in a bit from both sides to form more of a vertical, but thats a personal thing.

[Bill Dix]

Well done, Dennis! Persistence is the key. Love the snowfall (well chosen SS). Good perch and BG. I like it as posted, although not often a fan of square comps. I could also imagine Stu's suggested comp. It feels somewhat on the cool side, but I guess it was.

[Joe Subolefsky]

Very well done being persistent payed off. I might try cropping off about half the space above the owl to pull it out of the center and create some tension. TFS

[Jonathan Ashton]

Very nice indeed Dennis, I like the setting and his expression, curious about - you but not worried. I like the snow and the clear view of the eyes. Well done.

[Mike Poole]

Nice work Den, I know how long you've waited for this shot. Good choice of SS for the snow blur, and the knowledge of how still he can stay has paid off here.

Mike