Great Grey Owl hunting the fields

[Brutus Ostling]

Before Hungary I spent two days with the hunting Great Grey Owl, one and a half hour drive from where I grew up north of Stockholm. No mices to feed the Owl, I don´t mind anyone feeding Owls but it's of course more fun when you can photograph them in natural circumstances, there has been GGOs here for ten years now. This year they had started nesting, the male was bringing food to the female which didn't turn up at all, already lying in the nest (some birders had also seen them mating earlier).
Not this shot, but the shot before this one (1/2 second earlier) became already the next day the cover of my next book this autumn, 'Birds with an attitude'.
That one is cropped into a vertical, with wings up and legs down. But I think this one will be OK inside the book not cropped more than maybe marginally.
It was still early in the morning, my two oldest children, Alice 7 and Eddie 5, was sleeping in the car. Later they woke up, and after breakfast they xperienced the GGO. It flew only one feet over Eddie while it was hunting. Alice was most impressed by the Owls totally flat "face", when you look at it from the side.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Very cool pose, I also like the composition and thanks for sharing the story! Could you post some techs? On my monitor it seems to have a slight blue cast.

[Brutus Ostling]

Hi and thanks for comments,

here is some unimportant camera facts:
Canon 1 Ds Mark III, 600/4. ISO 1600, 1/400, aperture 6,3 if I recall it right. The new 1 Ds Mark III makes the crop on the other photo possible. The new camera's rawfiles are incredible.

There is a very blue light still in the morning, and I havn't decided yet if or how much I shall warm the photo (it's already K 6700, K 6800 or something like that). Please don't do that for me, I will still want to wait to decide it, that decision must for me as a book producer be made in consideration of the photos on the pages before and after this photo (the colors should fit) - I posted this and other photos while in the mid of the work with my next book - I need some pauses in that work.
I may also warm the bird a little and keep the bckground cool - which would be more what the reality felt like.

Best,

Brutus

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Thanks for the techs, Brutus. I like the idea of increasing the color temperature of the bird but not the BG. I look forward to your future posts and good luck with your book project!

[Juan Aragonés]

Brutus you are free to decide the final look of the image, of course:), but I agree with Axel about the blue cast. The pose and the action is excelent! well done

[Stephen Earle]

The look of this owl and the mood of the bg makes this one of the best avian images I've evr seen. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Harold Davis]

love the feel of this, brutus. best of luck to you with your new book.

[Chris van Rooyen]

Very effective. You captured both mood and action in one image, this is a rare combination. The slow shutterspeed added to the total impact, and the blue cast really works for me. Great image- a work of art:D

[Doug Brown]

Just incredible Brutus! I kind of like the blueish color cast; it sort of sets the mood.

[Raul Quinones]

Awesome picture and subject, nice sharp face/ body and beautiful wings blur.
I love the almost duo-tone bird and background, with the eyes demanding full attention.

[Arthur Morris]

Killer image Brutus. Just a fine point here. Folks are free to repost all images as a sign of loving, caring, and sharing. Permission from the posted is not required as it is elsewhere. You still get to make the final decision. Keep em' coming.

[Raymond Barlow]

Fantastic shot Brutus., I personally am happy to see your techs, i find them educational. Your image is nothing short of spectacular., and I wonder if you did any ps work on the eyes.

I am with you on the baiting issue, but wonder what your thoughts are concerning tapes / ipod calls?

Thanks for posting.

[Brutus Ostling]

No, no work on the eyes at all. I may mark the area around the eyes and add jus a little been contrast on the eyes before printing this photo - if it's needed.

Att least I will do that for the twin photo, which is not shown here, with the wings up and legs down in flight (1/2 second before bthis one), which will be the cover (very hard cropped) on my next book, I will have to do some extra contrast for the eyes - I believe. It's a very hard cropping for that cover, too hard many old thinkers would have said, from ISO 1600, but even with noise (the sharpness on the new 1 Ds Mark III is certainly enough evern at ISO 1600) it's a cover that will draw eyes on it. And the only imoportant will be the eyes to do something about. - I think the feeling is much more important than some noise...

You wrote:
and I wonder if you did any ps work on the eyes.

I am with you on the baiting issue, but wonder what your thoughts are concerning tapes / ipod calls?

Thanks for posting.[/QUOTE]

[Raymond Barlow]

No, no work on the eyes at all. I may mark the area around the eyes and add jus a little been contrast on the eyes before printing this photo - if it's needed.

Att least I will do that for the twin photo, which is not shown here, with the wings up and legs down in flight (1/2 second before bthis one), which will be the cover (very hard cropped) on my next book, I will have to do some extra contrast for the eyes - I believe. It's a very hard cropping for that cover, too hard many old thinkers would have said, from ISO 1600, but even with noise (the sharpness on the new 1 Ds Mark III is certainly enough evern at ISO 1600) it's a cover that will draw eyes on it. And the only imoportant will be the eyes to do something about. - I think the feeling is much more important than some noise...

You wrote:
and I wonder if you did any ps work on the eyes.

I am with you on the baiting issue, but wonder what your thoughts are concerning tapes / ipod calls?

Thanks for posting.

[/quote]

thanks for the info, very much appreciated., i am sure your cover image will be wonderful., I will watch for your book in our local book stores.