Great Horned owl chick

[Grace Scalzo]

Going through the files and attempting to get rid of some junk. But not this one. :S3:A pair of GHO's had a nest which was only visible from across a pond, too far away for images. I watched them all winter and knew that they chick was ready to get out of the nest. But my work is really seasonal, and I missed the exit. Kind of sad, I figured I'd hike around in the woods near where the nest was and see if I could find him a week or so after he left. This was one of the most rewarding experiences ever. The parent was high up in a tree quietly hooting. At first I thought it was a dove. It was almost as if she was leading me to her baby. I followed her sounds, found him, and right near where he was sitting, there was a huge pile of wood chips. I was able to get quite close and despite the dense woods, the light was nice. This was so early in my shooting days that I am surprised I got anything decent in camera.

Thanks for reading, for looking, and for any comments you care to offer. I did a bit of PP on the shaded eye and cropped to vertical.

Canon mk2n, 500 f4 + 1.4tc
1/250, f 6.3, ISO400 Tripod

[Amy Marques]

Grace, glad you did not consider this junk- it's a lovely image. I like that the youngster is peering right at us and the details are really nice. The oof tree in the bg makes a nice back drop. However, my eyes keep going toward that open area on the lower right. I hope it's just me!

[Melissa Groo]

This is absolutely beautiful, Grace. The detail on the wings, the clarity, the soft but illuminating light. I can't think of anything I would change except maybe to darken the area in the LRC. But this is truly a winning image.. thank you for sharing it!

[Grace Scalzo]

Amy, You may be right, but in a woodland setting it did not bother me too much. As Melissa suggests, I could darken it.

[Grace Scalzo]

Improvement?

[Melissa Groo]

Yes! Perfect now!

[dankearl]

Fantastic image Grace, just a really good view of the fluffy guy and as good a habitat setting as you can get with Great Horned Owls.
The repost is the best, and your DOF was spot on.

[Grace Scalzo]

Tks for the critical eye! Helpful.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

I think the repost helped the issue as I had it too. Really nice image Grace with great detail and nice framing .

[Arthur Morris]

Both work well for me and cause envy. Hard work well rewarded.

[Amy Marques]

Yes, better!

[Grace Scalzo]

Thanks, everyone. Artie, it was hard work as well as a heaping dose of good luck in getting the image in camera correctly. Some great friends here on Long Island did give me a good start and alot of help. I had only been photographing off and on for a year and had not yet discovered resources and a community such as this one for knowlege and refinement. For that matter, BPN did not even exist in 2008.

[gail bisson]

This is superb, Grace. The repost rocks. No nits from me except that I wish this was mine. I love his little ears!
Gail

[Stu Bowie]

Grace, I like the detail on the owl, together with the eye contact. Moving to your right a tad would have created a lovely thick thrunk to frame against. Great repost.

[Herb Houghton]

Very nice pose on the chick Grace, I like the repost. The feather detail is nice framed with the woodsy BGD.

[Jim Crosswell]

Excellent image Grace! I like the eye contact, detail, sharpness and composition.

[Grace Scalzo]

Thanks everyone. Stuart, I wish. The pile of wood chips allowed me to get to eye level with this little one, but alas, whoever put it there put it in the wrong place. :) For my own use, I will photo-chop that background in. :S3:

[Marina Scarr]

What I first noticed about this capture was how amazingly sharp it was. Love the way his head is turned all the way around looking at you. Isn't it fun to go through old files and find a gem like this!