Snowy Owl Take-Off

[gail bisson]

Canon 1DX
f 200-400 with 1.4X (rented)
ISO 1600
F 6.2 @ 1250
Taken in Ottawa in January with Daniel.
The owl was baited.
PP: Crop to 70% FF and added 5% canvas on the LHS, temp adjusted to get blue out of snow, cloned out 2 thin grass blades on bottom of frame, color balance to reduce magenta by -1,
levels, no NR because I didn't want to lose the snowflake detail, DE at 4% to owl then USM to JPEG
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Iain Barker]

Beautiful Grace. Perfect exposure and the snow really add something.

TFS
Iain

[dennis greenwood]

What a gorgeous bird to photograph ,WB on the bird looks good on my calibrated monitor ,the pose is very nice but it would have been nice to get both eyes in shot ,that's taking nothing away from the overhaul shot,do you think a bit more off the bottom but put more emphasise on the bird...

[Ashleigh Scully]

oh my gosh. I don't know what else to say!!!

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Good job!
Excellent separation between bird and sky, the head turn really helped here and I like the snow flakes also.

[Karl Egressy]

Great take off shot with excellent pose. The scene with the nice ragged post and falling snow makes it special. Great work, Gail.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, very well timed for the take off, and I do like the forward wing position of the snowy. With this angle, Im totally fine only seeing the left eye, and overall, you have exposed this nicely. The falling snow flakes add interest.

How did you find the 200-400?

[Rob Melone]

A dynamic moment in nature Gail with the vacated perch, intense and determined eye and wrap-around wings. Add the snowflakes and this image would attract immediate interest on a book cover or framed and hung in a prominent place. Can you see it?

[Bill Dix]

Sweet shot, Gail. Terrific flight action for what must have been difficult low light conditions. Love the comp and the snowflakes.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Love your image Gail, great light, flight angle and composition.

[Marina Scarr]

Really a super image, Gail. Love that pose and the snow and environmental elements all work well together here.