Northern Pygmy Owl

[D. Robert Franz]

Another image from my NPO series this winter. Here the bird had a shadowed mountainside behind it. Captured the image with and without fill flash. This image was without flash. The MK3 held detail in the shadowed side extremely well.

Canon Eos1d3, EF600mmF4IS, 2X, Gitzo & Foba, ISO 500, 1/320 @ F9,-1/3 EC in eval..

[c.w. moynihan]

Lovely side lit shot. I like the dark background and the dead on stare/pose. I would consider mask/selecting the bright side on the perch and toning it down a bit. Wish it were mine.

[Glenn Bartley]

You are cleaning up on this species this winter. I'm jealous.

[Nikolay Staykov - shotlandetsa]

So sweet!
Is this a montage? I mean the BG and the birds feathers look a bit strange in the place where they overlap.

[Malcolm Mackenzie]

I prefer the intrique or questions that a shadow or uneven light adds to photograph.

Great capture and presentation.

Malcolm

[Dobromir Dobrinov]

I like it very much,the light is perfect!!!!

[Chris Davidson]

Beautiful owl and image, Robert!
The MK lll did a wonderful job of holding details, bright side of perch does look a tad hot.
Which is minor and more than likley the result of trying to get the most possible light to
the shadows.
I'd love to see the flash image as well, for comparisons sake.

[D. Robert Franz]

So sweet!
Is this a montage? I mean the BG and the birds feathers look a bit strange in the place where they overlap.

No, not sure what to make of it...

[DanWalters]

Very nice! I really like the vert comp and the dark background. The side light also really adds to the image. Very dramatic.

[Linda Robbins]

Such a great little owl! I really like the dark bg provided by the shadowed mountain, and the vertical composition. I am not a fan of sidelighting, and I think the hot areas of the perch detract quite a bit from this image. I'd like to see one of the images with flash. Very nice direct look and pose.

____________________

Linda

[Jody Melanson]

Beautiful image, I love the dark BG. Great job handling the exposure! I would also try toning down the "hot" branch.

Would love the opportunity to shoot one of these guys!

[Milo Burcham]

These were one of my most photographed subjects when I lived in Montana... beautiful little owls! I like the dramatic lighting here and think it works well with the dark background.