GGO on the Prowl

[Doug Brown]

Here's a frame from the fading light of my first afternoon with the Great Gray Owls. I think the strong vertical tree elements add a sense of place to the image, but it wouldn't surprise me if others find them distracting. What are your opinions?

Canon 1Dx, 300mm f/2.8 @ f/4, 1/1600, ISO 2000, manual exposure, hand held, baited

[Randy Stout]

Doug:

Another dynamic pose. Very tight crop, but he works the diagonal well, and certainly when you are concerned about he background possibly overpowering he subject, cropping tighter can be an effective way to reduce that impact.

The only trunk here that bothers me at all is the far right one. Perhaps tone it down a sliver.

The flared primaries are great.

Cheers

Randy

[Mike Veltri]

Love the crop you choose Doug, the underside of the wings are lit nicely due to the snow.

[AdamStuckert]

This is a great photo Doug!

For me I'd like just a bit more space on the top. The bird is so dynamic that my eyes were drawn to it first. After looking at it a while I did find that the far right trunk was a tad distracting, I think mostly because it is close in color to the bird.

Other than those (minor) comments, I'd hang this on my wall!

[Bill Dix]

Yet another winner. I love the head on stare, and the uplight makes the shot special. I agree about the right-most tree.

[Sarah Jessup]

I'm fine with the trees. Living where these birds live, trees are an ever-present element in their habitat, and the aspen or birch illustrate that well. As distinct as the bird is, and with the great lighting, the trees aren't even noticed initially.
Sarah

[Jack Breakfast]

The owl and trees are terrific but the owl needs more room to breathe, in my opinion. The background is great, you should show it off a little more...

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Doug, the pano crop suits the headon flight pose very well. Great eye contact from those bright yellow eyes. sharp, and once you are fixated on the Owl, the BG seems to not matter.

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Awesome image Doug, The GGO is so well exposed and sharp that I dont mind the BG, the bird really stands out of the BG and a very dynamic pose for sure. TFS.

[Robert Holguin]

Stunning image!!!
Love the head on flight angle, terrific flight pose, sharp, and well composed.
I really like the background does not bother me at all.
Well done.

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the pano crop, exposure, details, eyes and blood on beak. Excellent image Doug!

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely pose and I really like the crop you chose b/c it's unique, especially with that BG which showcases the owl's environment. My first thought was that the BG was a bit loud but, the more I studied it, the more I liked it.

I am seeing an ever-so-slight magenta cast...maybe 3 or 4 points. If it were mine, I would consider reducing the brightness slightly or giving it a slight levels adjustment.

[Rachel Hollander]

Doug - fantastic image in all respects. I like the trees in the bg, gives it a coming out of the woods feel.

TFS,
Rachel

[arash_hazeghi]

this is a total winner. I might tone down the barks a tad. wish I had this frame!

[nick clayton]

I love the wing position and that intense look which is saying "I'm coming to get you!" I like the background as it says something about the habitat this owl lives in.

[Karl Egressy]

Great head on flight image, Doug. The bird looks great well lit and sharp. It is almost a B&W image, due to the light condition you had there. The trees are good to have in the background but I might tone them down a little.

[Doug Brown]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

great pose and eye contact.you did well with toning the bg down and I like your low angle