Eastern Screech Owl (Red Phase)

[Jon Swanson]

I was able to get a few images of this owl on a stick finally. I have it in about every pose imaginable in its roost hole and have been trying (with no success) to get a picture of him after he flew off the roost.....better than 20 different attempts. As the area is pretty thick and he was not in areas that would facilitate me getting an image, I was getting a little discouraged. Last night he finally flew onto a branch where I could make an attempt. So I did find a hole to shoot through and had to take some test images to get the focus right manually. The bird stayed on the perch long enough to allow for some pictures. D800 600VR + 1.7TC fill flash. No mouse or call.

[gail bisson]

Excellent shot Jon. I love hearing of hard work and dedication to get the shot. Makes the shot that much sweeter!
Fill flash is well done.
Good IQ and BG.
Did you know you can post your images bigger with 1024 pixels on the long side?
Gail

[Mark Jones]

Lovely image Jon. Great perseverance too! Fill flash works well here. The light seems to fall off rapidly when comparing the brightness of the owl's chest and it's forehead. Beautiful catch lights from your flash. Way to stick with it.

[Jon Swanson]

No. I did not know that. That is awesome!

[PhilCook]

Nice use of flash in this, the eyes are stunning and well done on a clean backdrop as well, very pleasing shot

[Jon Swanson]

Lovely image Jon. Great perseverance too! Fill flash works well here. The light seems to fall off rapidly when comparing the brightness of the owl's chest and it's forehead. Beautiful catch lights from your flash. Way to stick with it.

He was about 9 ft up so I was at an angle that would cause the drop off of flash you are describing on the forehead/top of head.

[dankearl]

I am usually not a big fan of flashed birds, but you did a nice job and the BG mutes the flash look for me.
Congrats on putting in the work, they are a great subject!

[Robert Holguin]

Wonderful shot!!!
Excellent pose, nice details, great comp, and very good use of the fill.
Very well done.

[Diane Miller]

Stunning, and I love the mysterious OOF detail in the UL. Fits well for an owl.

[Tim King]

Jon, you've captured something magical here. Fine job.

[David Salem]

Great shot and wonderful job with the fill flash. dosnt look to over flashed.(fake). Clear details and and a nice BG make for a very appealing shot overall. well done

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice pose and details! well done

[Faraaz Abdool]

Excellent shot! Kudos to you on your determination to get this shot! Our owls are always in the thickest of thickets. I love the sharpness, the catchlight and the soft BG.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Fantastic image of this little beauty out in the open! Great flash work...and gotta love those eyes. I'd be tempted to lighten the black area below just a bit to at least match the tonality of the upper left corner. Super nice!