Great Gray Owl Fun With the El-Cheapo 18-55 "kit lens"!!!!
Marina and I had a vision of taking some wide angle photos of these beauties, and after pre-visualizing and talking strategy we went to work and had a little bit of fun. It was time to whip out the ultimate weapon in my arsenal...the 18-55mm kit lens. The owl cooperated, and our plan worked to a "t". What I like here is that we get a great view of the habitat these bird birds are found in...
Just amazing that they would come in that close. Excellent light on the bird, I almost would have suspected some subtle fill flash here, but the snow obviously was your reflector.
He must have flared to almost a standstill to get him so sharp at that shutter speed.
Definitely a cool frame and an awesomely close encounter! I know that this shot was especially rewarding for the two of you, because you both had a vision and went for it.
For another of Daniel's close encounters, have a look at this thread.
Daniel, fantastic shot. Most of us are still trying to shoot an owl with our longest telephotos, so it is hard to imagine shooting an owl with a wide angle. May I ask was it a remote camera set up? Love the owl. the wing position, the blurring of the feet and tail which suggests motion and depth. You nailed this one for sure!
This is amazing, love the wide angle shot that have the owl as the main subject while showing the environment nicely. Love the owl pose and the tree on the left help frame the owl very well. A very good job well done!
Cool perspective. I too like the view of the habitat these birds live in.
Those eyes are really engaging and I must say this is the first bird image I've seen with an 18-55 :)
Very well planned and executed!
OK, FF images of this Beautiful with a landscape lens is just rubbing it in!
Great shot, It looks like a great time, cold and all.
I am Still amazed at how close you can get to them.
Thanks a stack all! I had a feeling this one would ellicit questions :-)
Originally Posted by Loi Nguyen
May I ask was it a remote camera set up?
Loi, no remote setup for this...just good old-fashioned eye in the viewfinder and finger on the shutter...
Originally Posted by Bill Jobes
Shocking good, Daniel ! I'm surprised at the BG being OOF at F/10. That's an interesting phenomenon.
Oh, and how did you get it to jump when it was so close to you ?
Is the image cropped ?
Hey Bill. At this point the owl is about 6 feet from the lens and the BG a couple hundred yards away hence the slightly OOF look to it. The owl did not jump, it is actually coming in for a landing and was enticed via bait. It was perched in the taller tree at left of the frame. The image is cropped for composition but still about 85-90% FF.
Thanks a stack all! I had a feeling this one would ellicit questions :-)
Hey Bill. At this point the owl is about 6 feet from the lens and the BG a couple hundred yards away hence the slightly OOF look to it. The owl did not jump, it is actually coming in for a landing and was enticed via bait. It was perched in the taller tree at left of the frame. The image is cropped for composition but still about 85-90% FF.
Thanks for the explainer, Daniel. You did a fabulous job of planning and executing this -- and it shows in the final product -- truly one of the best BIF photographs I've ever seen.
I think the quality of your images are stunning Daniel especially considering you normally only use a 100-400, but a cheapo 18-55 and an image like this well that’s just something else!!! This lens has allowed you to show this beautiful Owl in its surroundings far better than if you had used a telephoto.
Dan, what a shot. loved the perspective. Great execution...must have been a great experience. those trees in the BG add so much....and also the snow in the air.
I am wondering if opening up the aperture a bit would have been better...a little bit more OOF Bg and higher SS to get sharp wing-tips?
talking abt cheapo lenses....u should get the 40f/2.8. so small it fits in the pocket. I am liking the bokeh it delivers. I use it for casual outdoor family shots....but you can use it for owls, I guess :-)
DC your other GGO pics were very nice but this one is AMAZING. One of the best I've seen. I'm not okay with the baiting of birds, but I know full well that an image like this would be IMPOSSIBLE otherwise. I also know that you're probably not ruining the bird's day...in fact I'm sure he appreciates the help. It does feel like photographic cheating, which is why I'm opposed to it in my own artmaking, but I don't judge others who do it and it's my opinion that everyone should loosen up in that department. A "physician heal thyself" philosophy could well apply. Very well done, a real beauty...
Great Gray Owl Fun With the El-Cheapo 18-55 "kit lens"!!!!
. The owl cooperated, and our plan worked to a "t". What I like here is that we get a great view of the habitat these bird birds are found in...
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Originally Posted by Loi Nguyen
