Barred Owl Flight

[Bill Sharkey]

These guys are usually found perched in the dense forest edges :)

Got this little guy using the Canon MkIII with the f4 500mm at 1/1250, f4.5 and ISO 1000. Handheld with no flash.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/4159238228_82914d163d_o.jpg

Thanks for looking :)

Bill

[Mike Lentz]

I love this image, Bill!
I saw a preview of this from Scott last night and about cried with envy!!

[Danny J Brown]

Oh, man...........this is a truly amazing shot - I absolutely wish I'd have taken it. As far as I'm concerned it is perfect except for one tiny thing - the face could use a wee bit of sharpening. I love the grass, by the way. P.S. I've always noticed those black eyes on every barred owl shot I have. They used to frustrate me until I finally quit trying to make them look different. Great shot, Bill.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Very cool and good move on using a relatively high ISO. Angle, gliding pose and the habitat in the BG all come together. Another vote for a tad more sharpening of the face and maybe a slight crop off the top?

[Mike Tracy]

I have tried in earnest for a month now to get a image such as this of a barred owl to no avail. Well done.

It's a personal preference and about perception but I felt by flipping the image you get more of a sense of him flying towards you.

[Danny J Brown]

Hey Mike - I think I like it better this way - but that signature is meeeessed up:):)

[Steve Canuel]

Nice to see one flying. Nice BG, angle, and wing position. I like the flipped version as well. Might also like a little off the top or him higher in the frame.

[Randy Stout]

Bill:

Excellent capture, good techs, really like the splayed primaries.

The repost is a good example of how our culture, reading from top to bottom, left to right, effects how we view an image. I do find the repost more compelling.

very nice, either way however.

Randy

[Dan Busby]

These shots are not easy to get Bill but you have done it. The only thing I could suggest is to sharpen the beak a bit to bring the face alive just a bit more. A gorgeous shot of this woodland hunter. Just wondering - did you call him out?

[William Currie]

what is there to not like this great in every way well done

[Rod Warnock]

What an arresting capture, Bill !! BG spot on as well. Pehaps the flipped image by a margin but either one a top shot.
Best regards
Rod Warnock

[Chris van Rooyen]

Fantastic head-on approach shot. Sharpness great and I love the habitat in the background. I might consider warming the image slightly?

[david cramer]

Wonderful flight shot. A bump in saturation and contrast would improve the image.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Interesting repost and discussion, for some reason I prefer the original.

[Ted Busby]

This was the image of the day Bill; original is my pick, nice habitat and head on view.

[Mike Veltri]

Why in the world you would flip the image is beyond me. I think the image looks excellent as presented.

[Mike Tracy]

Why in the world you would flip the image is beyond me. I think the image looks excellent as presented.

It's not as if I took it and did a hatchet job with extensive editing. This forum offers the opportunity to present different ideas and alternative ways of looking at things. I think it is a excellent image but I have yet seen a perfect one.

[bobby]

Wonderful image Bill, as has been discussed many times over, presentations and the viewing of same is subjective. I like the original image and would not change it.

[Bill Sharkey]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment :)

Bill

[George Scott]

I love this image - great habitat capture and head on view. Very nice!

[Kiran Poonacha]

Nice one Sir, loved the incoming pose, the environ BG works great.. Congrats...