great horned owl chicks

[Dennis Bishop]

Fort de Soto Park is in Pinellas County, Florida, a bit west of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We learned about the chicks at the welcome center but had no idea just where they were. Or how close we could get. Consequently, I left my heavy 200 -- 400 zoom in the car. My idea was to hike back with just that lens but that, unfortunately, didn't work out. (We were told they were great horned owls, so I hope that's right.)





Nikon D3s, ISO 1600, f/16, nine-exposure HDR at 1 EV increments, zoom lens at 200mm plus a 2X teleconverter

processing highlights

• The shots were vertical with the chicks taking up less than a tenth of the height, so there was substantial cropping.
• Topaz Simplify -- saved watercolor preset, masked off eyes, beaks, and tree trunk
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- saved watercolor wash preset, Hard Light blend mode, masked
• three Flypaper Textures warm textures -- Overlay, Linear Burn, Multiply; all masked
• Normally, I don't mention adjustment layers, but a Curves layer with a radial mask combined with a mask of the chicks, nest, and tree was used to backlight them.
• Fractalius -- three layers, saved black & white presets; Multiply, Divide, Multiply; all masked
• Snap Art -- saved black & white Line Art preset, Multiply
• Simplify -- saved black & white edges preset, Multiply, masked

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Good thing you had the TC. I like the placement of the wee ones in the ROT's position., and the eye contact from the one chick. The backlightling you have used is very effective. Was Mom around?

[Dennis Bishop]

Good thing you had the TC. I like the placement of the wee ones in the ROT's position., and the eye contact from the one chick. The backlightling you have used is very effective. Was Mom around?

Thank you, Jackie. Hmmm, I guess the chicks are sort of in a rule of thirds position. I generally try for divine proportions, which has become a lot easier with the new Crop tool in Photoshop CC. In this case, it was a balancing act between divine proportions and what else to include within the frame without having the chicks too small. Actually, I'd first done a version with less cropping and more of the environment. It gives a better impression of how far off the ground they were.

Mom was nowhere in sight but the only other photographer there had seen her what sounded like many times. It was his day off, and it sounded like he stationed himself there as often as he could.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Oh, gosh, Dennis, I'm so glad you got to see the chicks! I love what your filtering did to the background especially.

[Mitch Carucci]

You processing gives this image the feeling of deep forest. The eye contact is great. Can I ask where in the park you found the owl chicks?

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . Can I ask where in the park you found the owl chicks?

Thanks, Mitch. The shots were taken in mid-February, so I don't know if the chicks are still there, or not. And, I don't know how well I can remember how to get there, but I'll give it a try. Also, here's one of the photos from the HDR sequence before cropping. Maybe it'll be of some help, especially in letting you know you've found the spot if the nest is empty.





When you get into the park, turn right. The road heads west for a while and, then, north. Near the end, there'll be a huge parking area on the left. Somewhere near the beginning of the parking lot, there'll be a road to the right. It goes into a wooded area. I think, we parked at the first place we could, which was off a spur to the left. There's a trail from there that heads into the wooded area, but I'd park and walk up the road (eastward) that you took into that part of the park. Eventually, maybe a half mile or more, there'll be a barricade (orange ???) blocking access to a trail on your left. I think it's only there to keep vehicles from entering. Take that trail and follow it counterclockwise (staying left at every opportunity). In about a quarter of a mile -- certainly less than a half, I think -- you'll have walked about three quarters of the way around the nesting area. If I remember right, there was yellow caution tape to keep people from getting too close. I was probably facing pretty much north when I took the shots.

I'd like to know if they're still there and if you found it. If you try, please post a comment to this thread.

[Anita Bower]

Thank you for posting the OP so I could see the environment. It is one I'm not familiar with.
The poses of the two little owls is perfect--straight on and profile. They look like they are wrapped in wool coats. Excellent crop. Your processing managed to make the focus be on the owls, and somehow eliminates any distraction that might have been caused by the busy surroundings.
Photographing these must have been a treat, and you did well, even without your longer lens.

[Mitch Carucci]

Thanks Dennis,

I will be down in a few weeks, but as you mentioned, it will probably be too late by then. Will let you know if I find anything...

M.