Sunset Snowy Owl, Nova Scotia

[gail bisson]

Canon 1DX
600mm and 2X
ISO 800
SS 1/1250 @ F8
My first snowy!!By that I mean the first snowy that I found all by myself! No baiting, no calling,no other photographer or birder- just me.
I spent the last week ( in 2 hours stints after and before work) in the Fortress of Louisbourg area looking for this lady.
I decided that I would spend the entire day (Saturday) looking for her and at 4:10PM I finally spotted her.
When I started the day it was -18C and worked its way up to -6C. Thank goodness for hand warmers and Canada Goose jackets!
PP: crop to 70% FF, NR to BG, levels, dodged the shadowed eye, DE at 8 % to shadowed part of wing and 3% to the rest of owl. Cloned out a specular highlight on the green rock, USM to JPEG
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Mike Tracy]

The squatty posture and POV is cool and different.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Gail - great light and the comp works well for me. You also got 2 open eyes which I've learned isn't so easy. Nice low pov too. There's a dust spot in the center on the right edge.

TFS,
Rachel

[gail bisson]

Hi Gail - great light and the comp works well for me. You also got 2 open eyes which I've learned isn't so easy. Nice low pov too. There's a dust spot in the center on the right edge.

TFS,
Rachel

Thanks Rachel. I actually see 3 dust spots. Sloppy work on my part. Thanks for the keen eyes and here is a repost,
Gail

[Kim.K.K.Lam]

WoW...Wonderful image,nice comp and light.

[Loi Nguyen]

Gail, congratulations for finding a snowy all by yourself. This is often 3/4 of the effort I think. Love the sweet light and the low shooting angle. The shadow eye is still a tad dark for me, wonder if pushing it further could improve the image. Loi

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, love the soft late light, and great eye contact. You have achieved great IQ for 1200mm, and overall well exposed. I cant begin to imagine how cold -18C is.

Is this close to your house? If so, you have found yourself a gem.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Congrats on the find, Gail! Love the sun you got on it, but it's often tough to get both eyes lit by sunshine with this unless you are perfectly aligned with the sun at your back - something that is not always achievable. I love the environment you got it in, something different.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Congratulations on the search and find Gail. I had a similar experience myself this year with my first and only snowy and It was just me and her out there, not another soul around. It was quite moving for me. I like this image and the low angle. You did well with dodging the eye. I really like the rocks around her but find the oof ones up front left side just a little distracting.

[dankearl]

The hardest working photog I know….
Congrats on the find and you made an excellent photo of it.

[Frank Schauf]

Beautiful portrait, great details and eye contact.

[Sandy Witvoet]

WAY TA GO, Gail! This is so perfect..... don't know if anyone else noticed.... but looks like she just had a nice meal...bit of blood on the right side of the beak... and that "Oh So Satisfied" look!
Your perseverence and patience are exemplary.... I'm sure you were WAY tired, but it sure paid off!

[Ashleigh Scully]

Great shot! The lighting on the owl is perfect, and I love the rocks surrounding it. The left corner is a little bit blurry, but that sort of frames the image

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful! I love how the very blurred FG acts as a frame to keep your eye on the gorgeous owl!

[Satish Ranadive]

Gorgeous image in beautiful lights. Love the colors, details and wonderful eyes. Very nice composition too.

Regards,
Satish.