Spotted Owl

[Isaac Grant]

In 1989 I went to Arizona with my father and brother and the top bird on my list to see was a Spotted Owl. We missed it. My sister in law lives near Seattle and every trip out there I spend countless evenings driving dirt roads in the middle of nowhere looking for Spotted Owl. Never found one. In 2018 while in Arizona with Walker "the owl whisperer" Noe, we not only saw Spotted Owl but had an unbelievable experience with one that seemed tame and curious about us. We literally had to step back from the bird it landed so close to us a few times. And I have one shot when it landed above our heads that is basically it's head and chest and that is it. Walker has previously posted some shots of this bird so I will not post my versions as they are basically identical. Shot vertical and no I did not know the spider was there when shooting this shot but was pleasantly surprised when viewing the images on my computer. :bg3: No audio used.

Canon 1dx mark ii and Canon 600 f4 ii +1.4x iii. ISO 800, F7.1, SS 1/100. Fill flash used at -2 exposure compensation if I remember correctly.

[Walker Noe]

This is mind-blowing. I assured you we'd get Spotted Owl before you flew out, and I could tell how relieved you were when we saw it. This is the best image I have ever seen and ever will see of a Spotted Owl, let alone a Mexican Spotted Owl. You simply don't see images like this of this species. Well done.

[Dorian Anderson]

Yeah, this is a winner! Mostly dark BG perfectly suggest more forest behind the bird, and the talons and spider add a lot on the nearer end. This is a really strong frame, Isaac.

[Arthur Morris]

Nice for sure. On my monitor the tree and the breast of the bird look brighter than the face of the owl. Easy to fix in post if you think that my point is a valid one.

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[Alex Becker]

Pretty awesome. The spider on the perch is so cool. Great details and BG. I really like how rich the browns are on top of the head. Cool how well the feet blend in with the perch. TFS

[Isaac Grant]

Alex you reminded me when you mentioned those rich brown tones on the top of the head. Processing photos with flash is quite different. I have been using flash more often for dimly lit situations. While the exposure is better the birds look washed out and need a couple layers of adjustments to build them back up to looking the way they should. And I am not just talking about night shooting either. Has been a steep learning curve for me on processing these type of images.

[annmpacheco]

Wonderful work Isaac, I like the perch and the spider, processing looks terrific, what an awesome capture. I also lile the hint of the branches in the BG...

[Bill Dix]

What an amazing experience this must have been for the two of you. Great capture, spider included. Overall, the flash work and processing look great. But I can see Artie's point, that perhaps the flash lit the top of the trunk and the owl's breast just a tad more than the head; maybe just a touch of dodging and burning could address it, if you agree.

[gail bisson]

I love the spider and the perch.
I appreciate that this a special image of a great bird but I find it hard to love a flashed image. Personal preference.
IQ looks good.
I am OK with the branches in the BG but could see a version with the branch above the head cloned out.
Gail

[Isaac Grant]

Hey Gail, I get what you are saying about flashed images and I feel the exact opposite. Unless I am photographing a diurnal owl like Burrowing or Snowy or Great Gray, I do not like photos of nocturnal owls during the day. We are just bothering them when they are trying to sleep. We don't shoot any other birds that are sleeping other than owls. Honestly do not get why. At night, owls are busy being owls. They are hunting, calling, flying and are super active and that is what a photo of a nocturnal bird should portray. If you have a photo of a nocturnal owl with its eyes open during the day you have disturbed it. At night they are out in the open, they are alert and behave 100% differently. Just because it is dark out does not mean that the action stops. I 100% shy away from shooting sleeping owls and let them be. I find the perspective of we are bothering the owls at night with flash 100% wrong. I think we are bothering them during the day by going to where they are sleeping and interrupting them. What people see of these birds by day is not at all how they are at night. I have spent time watching nocturnal owls hunt moths and bugs, watching how active they are always think how everyone misses this because they just photograph them when they are trying to sleep.

[gail bisson]

I agree 100% with you re: disturbing sleeping owls in the day.
I am just saying that I do not like the look of flashed birds, even when well executed like this. I find the images "shiny".
Purely a subjective taste thing, not a criticism at all!
gail

[Isaac Grant]

Criticism is fine. That is the point of this site and we are all entitled to our opinions. And I agree they are a bit shinier than they really are. But until we come up with a sensor that can capture these guys properly in the dark I guess it is the best we can do. The other option is to blast them with really strong lights from a flashlight which I think is worse than a quick flash. Neither ideal though. I find these images fascinating as they show a side of these birds that we otherwise never get to see.