A Little Owl in flight.

[Austin Thomas]

Here is my latest Little Owl image taken in the last light of the day.

Canon 1DMK4, 800mm, f5.6, 1/640, ISO1600

More images from this project can be seen HERE (http://www.austin-thomas.co.uk/blog/?m=201106)

C&C most welcome.

Austin

[Doug Brown]

Love the sweet light, extended talons, and wing position. Not a lot of light judging by your settings, but a little more shutter speed would have helped; you might try deliberately underexposing by 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop to get some more speed and then bringing things back up in post. The Mark IV does very well in that regard. Have a look at this thread (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/59054-Mark-IV-Barred-Owl-Awesome%21?highlight=barred+owl) to see how well the Mark IV can recover an underexposed owl (+1 2/3 stops).

[Alan Murphy]

Killer flight shot with great eye contact. I might be tempted to clone out the one feather on the top of his right wing.

[Austin Thomas]

Hi Doug, Thanks for the hint and the link. Very informative.

Yes, the light was falling below the horizon when this was recorded, so it was superb in terms of direction but "weak". I pushed the ISO up and had the kit mounted on a tripod head directly onto the ground for support. I agree that a faster SS would have helped.

Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated.

Cheers

Austin

[Austin Thomas]

@Alan, Thanks for your suggestion. I was in two minds what to do with that misplaced feather...

[Ofer Levy]

Looks great to me. Image looks sharp and well exposed. I am not sure about underexposing in order to get some more SS. In the thread Doug mentions the underexposed image looks un-useable to me after processing. Too much noise and low IQ.

[Doug Brown]

I am not sure about underexposing in order to get some more SS. In the thread Doug mentions the underexposed image looks un-useable to me after processing. Too much noise and low IQ.

You may be right Ofer, but that's a 100% crop of an image brought up 1 2/3 stops with a quick slider adjustment and without any NR. I just I'm suggesting 1/3 to 2/3 stops of underexposure. The technique works quite well in my experience.

[Phil Ertel]

Hi Austin,

I love this. Great light, pose, good detail, and I like the two tone background. If this were mine I believe I would remove the feather on the birds right wing that is sticking up as it draws my attention away from the rest of the beautiful bird. Nicely down and congratulations on lovely image.


Regards,


Phil

[Daniel Cadieux]

I actually love that feather and would leave it intact (it would be a different story if it wasn't so clear it was a feather). I also love the difference in pupil size with the variying light. If mine I would smooth out what appear to be smudges along the bottom edge of the frame, but all else looks fantastic!!

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Super landing pose with great eye contact. Love the feet.

[yogesh_puranik]

fanastic level details and light..grt

[Arthur Morris]

I am more than fine with this spectacular image. I love the outstretched feet and would leave the feather. Wish that the dark area were not right behind the bird.

What brought the bird flying right at you?

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely pose and light. Like that lone little feather on his back showing.

[Doug Brown]

I'm not trying to hijack this thread or detract from Austin's excellent image, but I wanted to post a processed version of the owl I mentioned in my earlier comment. Underexposing for extra shutter speed can be very helpful in fading light when you are trying to capture action. You need a relatively light-colored subject (such as Austin's owl). I have pushed this exposure 1.5 stops in post and run NR on both the BG and the bird (selectively on the bird); this is obviously an extreme example of the technique. Remember that even 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop can make a huge difference when it comes to freezing action. Again Austin, congrats on a fine photo, and sorry for the digression! :S3:

98898

[Ofer Levy]

I'm not trying to hijack this thread or detract from Austin's excellent image, but I wanted to post a processed version of the owl I mentioned in my earlier comment. Underexposing for extra shutter speed can be very helpful in fading light when you are trying to capture action. You need a relatively light-colored subject (such as Austin's owl). I have pushed this exposure 1.5 stops in post and run NR on both the BG and the bird (selectively on the bird); this is obviously an extreme example of the technique. Remember that even 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop can make a huge difference when it comes to freezing action. Again Austin, congrats on a fine photo, and sorry for the digression! :S3:

98898

That looks pretty good to me....:w3

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Another fantastic image from your little owl series, Austin.
Superb pose and terrific eye contact.
I'm loving the interesting light and how the shadow has made one pupil larger than the other.
Lovely work!

PS: thanks for the tip, Doug!

[thijs broekkamp]

What a beautifull light and pose of the owl, great work!

[christopher galeski]

great image Austin,love the lighting and the outstretched feet.well done.

[Troy Lim]

Great shot Austin.

[Austin Thomas]

Thanks for your comments and feedback all. Much appreciated.

@Daniel The "smudges" at the bottom are the surface of the track coming more into the DOF. The Owl is only an inch or two off the ground here. Easy to smooth out, so thanks for the observation.

@Artie Its chick ! The young had just fledged and the adults were following them around as the Owlets were calling. I will post one of the Owlet calling taken at the same session.

Thanks again

Austin

[Stu Bowie]

Austin, your owl images are very impressive, especially the poses you capture, and this one is no different. Great eye contact, and I like the light and colours. Im fine with the feather too. Interesting points from Doug.

[arash_hazeghi]

Excellent light and pose, I agree with Doug regarding MK4, I never compromise shutter speed and deal with the noise later.

Enjoyed viewing, excellent work

[adrian dancy]

Wicked! as we say here. Lovely light, pose eye contact...it's got it all.