Barn Owl

[Simon Wantling]

Finally managed to capture a Barn Owl which has been on my list for some time now. I took several flight shots of this wonderful bird and this is a favourite of my wife who likes the eye contact. Photographed late in the day as the light was coming down.

5D MK iii, 500mm, F5, 1/2500ss, ISO2500 +1ev

[Arthur Morris]

Assuming that this is not a captive or rehab bird, I tip my hat to you. Love the BKGR, the position of the bird in the frame, and the killer look at the dorsal surface of the near wing.

[Simon Wantling]

Thanks Arthur. The bird is completely wild and was a chance find whilst driving home. Rushed back to the house, grabbed the gear and then waited for over an hour to see if it return - which thankfully it did.

Thanks for the comments.

[Iain Barker]

Hi Simon

What a lucky find and you did a great job capturing it. Did you run noise reduction on the background? It just looks a little strange where it meets the bird at the head to me. Im not expert on that though so don't take my word for it. Other than that can't fault this lovely image.

TFS
Iain

[Joseph Przybyla]

Beautiful bird nicely shown, well done Simon.

[Grace Scalzo]

Congratulations on this beauty, Simon. Delightful bird, well positioned in the frame with pretty colors in the background. If there is any way to tease just a bit of brightness in the eye, it would liven it up a touch. Fine work.

[Marina Scarr]

Ditto what Artie said. It's amazing how well the BG goes with the colors of the bird and works even though it's not smooth. I would love to just see a barn owl.

[Simon Wantling]

Thanks very much for all the comments. It is a lovely bird and is something I'll remember for a long time. A real pleasure spending the time photographing it.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Arthur. The bird is completely wild and was a chance find whilst driving home. Rushed back to the house, grabbed the gear and then waited for over an hour to see if it return - which thankfully it did.

Thanks for the comments.

Good on you!

[Sidharth Kodikal]

You've nailed this one, Simon. Excellent pose, bird placement and comp. Nice varied bg. I'd try to brighten the eye up a bit. Fine work. TFS.

[William Dickson]

Thats a cracker Simon, never seen one of these owls for months, there is so many getting killed on the roads. Love the image, well done