Northern Hawk-owl

[Stuart Edwards]

Showed up a little late and missed the golden morning light but still managed a couple of flight shots. I dont think having a nikon would have helped me here , I couldn't keep it in the viewfinder lol.
Shot with a borrowed 1Dx
400mm , f5.6 ,1/2500 , iso 800
Croped a little from the left and top the added a little canvas to the right.
Cloned out 1 dark tree that ran right behind the birds head then used smart sharpen on the bird only.
P.S. I forgot to add this owl was baited.

[Arthur Morris]

Stunningly sharp and beautifully lit. I'd go for a nice bit off the bottom to tighten things up.

with love, artie

[Glenn Pure]

What a beauty Stuart. I'm impressed you have the bird sharp from head to tail at f5.6. Who cares if you didn't get it in golden light with a shot like this. Love the angle of the bird, head position and 'death' stare at some unsuspecting potential prey.

[arash_hazeghi]

lovely pose, I like the BG that shows the habitat, light isn't that bad either. I might selectively sharpen the face a bit more

TFS

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely shot, nice tones and pose.
(Is that a clone line central bottom - straight edge??)

[Stuart Edwards]

Thanks for the suggestions guys . Jonathan , I cant believe I missed that ha ha. as for sharpening , i tried adding a little more on the head but it looks a little funky on my screen. Pretty sure I would need a better monitor to see what you are seeing Arash.

[William Dickson]

Very nice. I love how the talons are curled in. Lovely head on the bird and the BG colours show it well.

Will

[Glenn Conlan]

The detail from head to tail is great and the head position is perfect, I might shave off a little more on the bottom as Artie suggested, well done

[Daniel Cadieux]

Looks good! I love the clutched talons. You may have missed the golden light, but I missed the flight opportunities:S3: