Standing Guard

[Ken Lassman]

Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee NWR, Boynton Beach, FL


Great Horned Owl (male) watching over the nesting female. He is always within 50 yards of the nest and only leaves to hunt and return with food. We think the chicks may have already hatched and we are waiting with great anticipation to see them. Late afternoon with great lighting makes it easier to find him in the moss.


Nikon D300
Nikon 300/2.8 VR lense
ISO 400
F/5.6 @ 1/500
Manual Metering on Tripod

[Phil Ertel]

Hi Ken, I like this. Nice find of this owl with a fairly unobstructed view while still showing the habitat.
If this were mine I wold try the following things.
1. For my taste the bird is a little too centered. I would crop a little off the top and behind the bird to move it from the center of the frame. If you have it I might also try adding a little to our left (not sure about this). It will be interesting to see what other have to say.
2. I find the bird a little soft on my monitor. I would try to sharpen just the bird to bring out more detail.
3. I would also lighten the bird a little to help it standout from the habitat a little more (unless it was your intent to show how the owl blends into his surroundings).
4. I would also try and lighten shadows on the eyes.
5. In an attempt to highlight the the owl I would darken/tone down the lighter moss just a little also to help the bird standout. (see comment 3).
6. If it is within your ethics I would also suggest removing the dark branch that interests with the owls head.

To demonstrate my suggestions, I took your image into photoshop and and quickly tried the above. Of course you are the artist and it is up to you if any of the suggestions are to your liking. If you agree with any these suggestions, I am sure you could do a better job of it with the original file and a little more time.

Thanks for sharing!

[Dave Leroy]

Very nice find. I like the natural framing of the bird and the soft look to the eyes.
Of the two I prefer the Phil's repost. The slightly tighter crop, removal of the branch above the bird's head and other adjustments to bring the bird out a bit more add to the photo for me.
Well done and hope to see more family photos.
Dave