A very young transplant.

[dankearl]

I went to the Oregon Coast again on Wednesday because I had heard there was an Adult Snowy that was in the area.
I did not see the Adult and thought I was seeing the same Owl as I had a week or so earlier.
Only when I saw it through the lens, did I realize it was a different Owl, very young (possibly with the Adult).
This is a really big crop, maybe 15% of original as I stayed a long way off in some woods to get this
without scaring the young Owl.
The D800 can be pretty effective for this if the Iso is low enough..
Judging from the Barring and the feet, I would say this is less than a year old.
I am now wondering whether they are really migrating from the Arctic or staying much farther south
than previously thought.

1/1000, f6.3, iso400, 600mm, D800, Handheld

DSC_3600bp2.jpg

[dankearl]

Just to show how far away I was, here is the original.
I also forgot to sharpen the cropped version for the web, but it looks decent as posted I think.

DSC_3600ff.jpg

[arash_hazeghi]

very cool Dan I like the pose and detail is great given the crop. 15% of a 36 Mpixel sensor is 5.4 Mpixels which is more than enough for web and even some prints if it is sharp like yours...the magic of D800.

However, it is still better to get the bird large in the camera at first place where possible with a longer lens or at closer range. This will not only produce even better files that will display and print great at large size but will also help with a shallow DOF rendering a smooth bokeh and much better subject to BG separation. Not to mention it will allow you to submit your images for prestigious competitions. Generally speaking, this much cropping is not acceptable for major competitions.

When I started bird photography I used to crop a lot but now if something is less than 50% of the frame I don't process it.

[John Cooper]

Thats one cool capture Dan and just demonstrates how much you can crop from such a large file-size. I love the eye contact with this beautiful creature.

[Shawn Zierman]

That is one heavily barred snowy. Cool shot. I kind of like the full frame image, though visually chaotic, it has a great
sense of place, and shows how well the owl blends into the surroundings. You seem conflicted about snowys, recently
you posted that they are not "shrinking violets", but now you're a "long way off in the woods" so as not "scare" the owl....?
My opinions and approaches with owls have changed over the years.... not trying to put you on the defensive, just curious.

[gail bisson]

If I ever see a snowy in real life I will swoon with delight, screw up the picture because of excitement but leave with a smile on my face!! These owls are so beautiful.
Excellent IQ with a great look at the feet. Nice weathered perch as well.
The crop looks awesome,
Gail

[Nick Palmieri]

Nice one Dan. Good IQ. The crop is certainly working here as this was no throw away. I forced myself for about a year to do my best to capture full frame images only. It was certainly a useful exercise in photography and certainly taught me how to get closer to wildlife without disturbing it. It is amazing though how these larger sensors allow you to successfully crop. I like this one a lot!

[Grace Scalzo]

Dan, I like your image, plenty of detail for this purpose and full of interest, not the least of which are those wonderful feet. I did think it needed sharpening, which you explained. I will be interested to hear your reply to Shawn. Last year on Long Island, we had a very skittish owl. Only chance of photographing her was to stay back and create an environmental. There was another one, an adult, who was little bothered by people. I think each situation has to be analyzed on its own. As for croppng, I try to keep it to a minimum, but it depends on the purpose of the image.

[dankearl]

Thanks for the comments.
I too would like to get closer and have with Snowys before by just being low to the ground and careful.
On this particular day, there were a number of birders who made it clear to the photographers that they did not want
us going near the Owl. I already have a lot of Snowy photos so I did not mind, however a couple of photographers had
made a four hour drive and were determined, so they asked me to find the Owl for them and since I knew the area,
I took them out to see it. I was actually standing behind a gentlemen who was using a tripod in front of me.
We went carefully, took a few shots and left the area.
I was just trying to keep the peace. This Owl and others are in a State park with relatively easy access and there
are a lot of birders who go there to see them and they are quite vocal about there wanting no photographers to
flush the Owl.
I was there a couple of weeks ago and saw the owl get flushed by birders, not photographers, but they
blame us anyway.
I certainly am not for disturbing wildlife and my opinion is that photographers do not harm wildlife by
trying to get close. Other people have different opinions.
The Owls have a different value to the birders for some reason. That same day I photographed dozens of Phalaropes that were
inland for some reason and are just as rare to see in that setting and the birders were walking through the meadow they were in
with little regard for them.
Sorry for the rant on a critique forum.

[Jack Breakfast]

It is both understandable and decent to feel protective of a young snowy owl. When people are too close, the owl will not hunt. Instead, he will stay on his guard, or fly away, expending precious energy. When a hungry owl is constantly flushed, its chance of survival decreases dramatically, and a young owl's chance of survival is slim at the best of times. It is cruel to prevent the beast from hunting and eating. Of course, "safe distance" is to be determined on a case-by-case basis, but the plain truth is that many people (birders and photographers included) simply do not have the good sense to properly judge a situation. The greed for "good looks" and "good shots" takes over. I've seen it too many times to be persuaded otherwise. I realize that a critique forum is not the ideal venue for this particular line of discussion, but the issue comes up over and over again because the issue is crucial.

[Grace Scalzo]

Rant away, Dan. It's a frustrating situation.....most uncomfortable. I've had the good fortune of being alone (or with one other person) and an owl on just a few occasions and it is heaven on earth.

[Jack Breakfast]

Agree wholeheartedly with Grace. I have had a similar experience exactly twice and nothing is better. Obviously there's this: the more people around, the worse things are for the owl and it's the creature's cumulative experience of and with people that counts, etc. Of course we all think we're the good ones. "I would NEVER do anything to hurt an owl." I remain dubious. It is great fun to be a guilt-ridden bird photographer, take my word for it. I used to think emoticons were beneath me but I've changed my tune. After all, who can ever interpret TONE on these forums? Here:

[dankearl]

Jack, I understand your position and that is fine with me.
Last word on this from me on this forum.
I do find it ironic that the birders all have their bird books and such that they use to help them identify the birds.
Do they think the photos they use were taken with 5000mm lens?

[laurie golden]

Beautiful owl Dan. And glad you got the phalaropes.

Are young snowy owls easily flushed? Last year when we had a dozen owls at Ocean Shores Washington we could get close to the adult owls but the young would fly at three times the distance. Has anyone else had this experience? With other birds the young are more tolerant.

[David Salem]

Nice shot. Great eye contact and HA. Exposed very well and lots of detail. Love the big feet showing and the talons are well pronounced. Amazing how well that Nikon crops. Very well done.

[Dennis Zaebst]

These are gorgeous birds, Dan...perhaps someday I will have a chance to photograph one...at an appropriate distance of course. I think you did well with the crop...I noticed much of the foreground was OOF, and the BG was a bit cluttered too. The final cropped shot is truly a wonderful photograph and sharpness is fine. This is not a contest to see who can crop the least - my two pennies.

[Satish Ranadive]

Magnificent image in habitat.Love the owl with nice details,beautiful lights,and the eyes.

Regards,
Satish.