Preening GHO

[Kim Rollins]

I guess you have to get spruced up for the ladies if it is Dec. and you are a Great Horned Owl.


http://www.pbase.com/kwr_01/image/120366747/original.jpg

Shot in low light conditions and it is one of my first images with a new lens - 70-300mm f/4.0/5.6 ZUIKO ED. Did I need a new lens? No but B & H has this one dropped down to $221.00 and so... how could I pass it up? :)
I haven't had a chance to try it much to find sweet spots, etc. or for that matter even to find some good lighting but already have the opinion it works and a bargain too.

Olympus Model E-3 Focal Length 286 mm Exposure 1/250 sec Aperture f/7.1
ISO Equivalent 400 Metering Mode center weighted (2) Exposure Program manual (1)

Critique welcome and appreciated too.

[Randy Stout]

Kim:

Interesting behaviour shot, but this one suffers more than the previous one because of the cluttered background and foreground. His coloration blends in so well that it makes it tough to separate the bird from the tree.

It looks sharp enough. I might have tried several larger apertures to try and reduce the DOF enough to help control the environmental clutter.

Hoping you get some good light and a cleaner background to really put your new lens through its paces.

Randy

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Pose and behavior look good. It is a bit tight in the frame for my taste and I would have backed up for a lower angle. The plumage looks a bit coarse on my monitor.

[Kim Rollins]

Randy -
I didn't think to open the aperture when I was shooting it but will keep that in mind. I am pretty sure it will be back and maybe to the same branch.

The cluttered background and foreground are not a problem to me (personal opinion) as long as there are not branches directly in front of the face. This is the situation that I often see the GHO in as their natural cover. I think back on how many times I have seen folks write that they have never seen an owl in the wild during the day and so the clutter should explain that. They can sit on a branch next to a tree trunk and nearly vanish and I think in its own way having to hunt for the owl or for separation adds to the image. Raining and 34 degrees tonight, snow possible by morning and maybe a break for the "good light" tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for looking and taking the time to comment.

[Kim Rollins]

Pose and behavior look good. It is a bit tight in the frame for my taste and I would have backed up for a lower angle. The plumage looks a bit coarse on my monitor.

I was out of room for backing up there Alex. I did crop a bit though so I could have left a bit more. The plumage is bristled up/out and we are looking at a many ends of feathers from an angle that we would not generally see them and course they actually are.

Thank you for commenting.