Incoming Juvenile Burrowing owl at speed-and a few tips

[arash_hazeghi]

This is another frame from my trip to SoCal. Many thanks to Dave Salem for making it possible to photograph these handsome owls.



EOS 1DX 600 II f/5.6 1/3200sec ISO 400. handheld from truck which we used as blind.

[Loi Nguyen]

That's a fantastic incoming flight shot Arash. The details on the face of the owl are amazing. Got your point regarding the AF Lock while half pressing the shutter button. Will try it next time. TFS. Loi

[arash_hazeghi]

There were a few questions in another thread about photographing an incoming small owl against varied BG. This is one of the most challenging subjects in flight photography and requires advanced technique (and lots of practice) to nail it. I wanted to share a few tips.

There are two methods for capturing shots like this :

method 1) Manual focus or focus trap: This is doable with any camera/lens. You just need to set your lens/body to MF and focus about 10" in front of the perch (for take off) or 10" behind the perch for landing. wait for the owl to come and fire off at max. burst speed. The advantage of this method is that it is easy and does not require high end equipment. The drawback is that it is rather unproductive. You get max one frame that is tack sharp if you get any. Most of trials will result in a series of OOF/soft frames so it is a numbers' game. You need many repeat opportunities to get one frame that is sharp and has a good pose. This is recommended if the owl is cooperative and is repeating the same flight path over and over. e.g. owl hunting and returning to a perch with food multiple times

method 2) AF : this method requires EOS 1D or equivalent Nikon Body with Canon/Nikon super telephoto prime lens. In this method you use the limiter switch on the lens to set it to close focus range to minimize AF drive. e.g. 4m-16m for the 600 II. Of course you have to be close to the owl because the owl needs be large in the frame or the AF will lock on the BG. Program AF-ON button to act as AF-lock only. pre-focus as described in method 1. then lock AF by pressing and holding AF-ON. Frame the shot and wait. Keep the shutter button half-pressed to reduce lag. When the owl is large in the frame release AF-ON and press the shutter at the same time. You have to be very quick here. The camera will lock and deliver a series of sharp files before the owl exits the frame. Since the owl is large in the frame AF expansion mode is recommended. The advantage of this method is that it will often deliver more than one tack sharp frames (the percentage will vary) so you can choose the best wing position/HA etc.. Example above is one out of 5 shots. 4 were sharp but only one had the right pose and no merge with the perch ( a rock under the bird). The other advantage is that if that once the photographer has mastered this technique it will be much more likely to grab a frame when there are not many repeat opportunities. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to master and does require high end equipment to deliver the kind of AF speed needed for these little bullets.

I hope this tip is helpful

[Dvir Barkay]

Awesome shot Arash, thanks for the technique explanation as well (always helpful). I believe you posted this or something similar to naturescapes? I like the bigger rendition as you can see more details.

[arash_hazeghi]

Awesome shot Arash, thanks for the technique explanation as well (always helpful). I believe you posted this or something similar to naturescapes? I like the bigger rendition as you can see more details.

Thanks,

That was a different frame. I will post it here later. The posting size on this site and NSN are actually identical at 1200 pixels, however on that site you need to click on the image to see the larger view. On BPN we make it easier by displaying the large file by default.

best

[John Robinson]

Well explained Aresh. With my gear it would be your first option but worth a go. Little wls are so easy to "train" so it shouldn't be too bad .
Great expression and shot anyway.
Cheers
JohnR

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Arash, well explanation on the use of the AF-Lock. I will definitely try it next time I have a chance. The limiter on the 600mm seems a perfect range 4-16m. On the 500f4, it is 3-10m, often too close. TFS. Loi

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Arash, well explanation on the use of the AF-Lock. I will definitely try it next time I have a chance. The limiter on the 600mm seems a perfect range 4-16m. On the 500f4, it is 3-10m, often too close. TFS. Loi

but then 500 is shorter than 600, to get the BO large in the frame you need to be within 10m. In the example above I think it was between 8-10m. Since the switch is not in a convenient location you will inevitably miss some of the far shots, but if this is the shot you want you will be much more likely to capture it.



best

[Steve Kaluski]

Cheers Arash, what you have explained is more concise & articulation than our PM exchanges, but basically what I have been doing except for the AF ON, let's see what today brings.

Cheers
Steve

[shane shacaluga]

Thanks a lot for those tips Arash. Very nice incoming pose!

I need to figure out how to do this on my Nikon as I dont think holding the AFON button activates the AF lock

[Arthur Morris]

Sick. The eyes, BKGR, and sharpness are amazing.

My experience with Burrowing Owls both in Florida and California is that basically, they just sit there. As the situation that you describe indiicates that you had many chancesand opportunities to practice, I need to ask, was this bird called with audio or baited?

[Joe Senzatimore]

WOW!!!!!!

[Arthur Morris]

Back to the image, based on the eyes this one could use some CW rotation. Birds always fly with their eyes level. Use the Ruler Tool to draw a line through the center of the pupils and then hit Image/Image Rotation/ Arbitrary to see how much CW rotation is needed. Lastly, Though it is hard to imagine this image being stronger, I think that going with a slightly lighter BKGR would actually improve it a bit.

[arash_hazeghi]

Sick. The eyes, BKGR, and sharpness are amazing.

My experience with Burrowing Owls both in Florida and California is that basically, they just sit there. As the situation that you describe indiicates that you had many chancesand opportunities to practice, I need to ask, was this bird called with audio or baited?

Hi Artie,

you are right for most of the day they sit there, especially adults. If you find an adult bird with no juvi's chances for getting a flight shot is very low. They do hunt before sunset however. When they have juveniles and they are learning to hunt is the time that they are active and you can get flight shots as well as interaction shots as the parents have to feed them. Last year I also got some BO shots up here too. It was only from one evening when the juveniles were active. They were hovering and diving at swallows. I was able to pull off a few good frames from each pass. A week after that activity reduced noticeably.

The technique (2) that I described above helps you make the most out of the chances you have. If you reply on MF or focus on the owl when he is perched the chances of nailing the shot is very low and you may need many trials to get one like this.

The other key factor here was using truck as a blind, we were able to get very close to them.

BTW, AFIK, BO do not respond to calls. I have tried it in the past with no effect.

Best,

BG here was a distant hill, and I should mention I cloned out the top part of a rock at the btm edge of the frame.

[Andy Shepherd]

Outstanding image, Arash

[Holger Leyrer]

Perfect in every way

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Simply amazing, Arash. I don't think it can get any better than this. Excellent technique and execution.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks. This image was honored here.

[Joseph Przybyla]

What can I add to what has already been said...

[Iain Barker]

Fantastic image Arash and some great tips for us lesser photographers.
TFS
Iain

[Marina Scarr]

One of the best, sharpest coming at you flight shots I've seen! Love that BG with this bird. I would give it a little CW rotation since the catchlights aren't even. You're a master at those flight shots, Arash!

[Binu John]

Wow! Stunning shot, Arash! You nailed this coming at you shot! It couldn't get any better than this! Very well done!

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks a lot everyone for the nice comments

[Peter Scholer]

Love this what a superb capture handheld too. The crisp wonderful eyes and face with the blurred wings really excite me. Not to mention the creamy smooth background.

[MohsenVahedipour]

Excellent incoming pose with great light & clarity.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Arash, thanks for the great tips stated above.

With regards to the image, simply brilliantly captured, and you are the king of flight images.

[Sridatta Chegu]

Brilliant capture... Love the technique too. TFS

[dankearl]

Unreal...
I am torn of whether it needs rotation or not, I might level the eyes and see how it looks.
Terrific focus and processing, it just jumps off the screen.

[Tim King]

Pleasant amount of blur. High five for this one, Arash!!

[David Salem]

What a fun evening that was Arash. We sure got some nice frames and this one is awesome. Love the direct stare and fully lit eyes. They sure were active in the breeze that night.
Glad you got some nice shots and you are welcome. See ya soon.

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Killer image Arash! what else to say?