Great Grey in Snowfall

[Matt Smith]

Hello All,

Shot this in Grand Teton National Park on the last day of our trip there in May this year. It was coming down pretty good that day. Really wanted to get an Owl pic and was glad i spotted this guy. He was perched on a limb just off the road in Moose, Wyoming.

Shot with Canon 5DII
Canon 300 f/2.8 L IS + 1.4x (420mm)
1/500
f/5.6
ISO 400

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Matt, a big welcome to BPN, and glad that you chose to show off your work in the avian forum. Lovely enviromental image showing the wintery conditions, and the owl seems to have fixed his eyes on something down below. You say he was just off the road, do you have a closer shot. As much as I like the space, I would loved to have seen this guy with more detail closer up.

[Matt Smith]

Thanks Stuart. I say he was just off the road, probably around 100 feet. This image was cropped a bit (not too much), but i did not want to be that guy to scare him off. I am saving now for the new 600 II. Just a matter of time!

[Randy Stout]

Matt:

A big welcome to BPN! Nice way to start out, really like the feel of this image, the isolated owl and minimalistic perch.

I might suggest you try some additional crop options. I have attached a version with the rule of third point placed on the birds chest. It doesn't always work, but with small in frame subjects, placing the subject on one of the ROT intersections often is a good starting point. You could also consider a loose vertical if the image quality will hold up.

Look forward to more.

Cheers

Randy

[Matt Smith]

Thanks Guys! I like the second crop. I do have a few vertical shots of this guy as well. Will work on those. Im ready for a second trip to Wyoming! Wish it were closer to home.

Matt

[PhilCook]

I rather like this as it is, small in the frame adds a lonely, lost in a snow storm look, nice mood I think.

[MohsenVahedipour]

What a nice mood! Lovely perch & pose. I would prefer Randy's crop than OP.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice first post and welcome to BPN, Matt.

[Marina Scarr]

What a terrific first post, Matt. Love all the snow. Prefer all the space of the original post. It show how solitary the bird is and how unprotected from the elements. I am not into cloning out elements of my pictures but I think I would consider cloning the one snowflake close to the owls eye if it were mine.