I photographed this Boreal Owl back in February at Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota. This is a slight crop from the left and fairly minimal processing - bird was found along the roadside in some brambles and was not called, baited, etc.
Nikon D500, 600mm f/4, ISO 125, 1/1250. C&C appreciated!
Love this shot Joseph. So glad you posted it. This is an extremely difficult bird to get out in the open. As we discussed we also had horrible luck with owls there in February. We chased a Boreal on the lake front that was flushed about 15 minutes before we got there. I would've been thrilled to see this bird and gotten a photo like this. You have perfect eye contact, perfect head angle and a beautiful background. I would increase the exposure a tiny bit, up the blacks in selective color a few more points and run a tiny bit more NR on the background. I would also add a couple points more on contrast. There is one area on the right side of the bird (the birds left side) that is too hot and it is just below the birds eye and on the chest. Try burning that area or cloning it out if you are OK with that sort of thing. I am not typically a fan of square crops. Might be worth an 8:10 and just see how it works and really give an intimate look at just the bird. Minor changes for an insanely nice shot of this bird.
Ditto most of what Isaac said. In a perfect world, the bird would have had its eyes open wider. The BKGR is neat the the o-o-f branches frame the bird quite well. Though I am usually not a fan or boxy crops the square crop works perfectly here.
Keep them coming and thanks for your membership support.
with love, artie
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,
Ditto for all the positives above. I've been looking at it for a while, and the square crop is growing on me. You placed yourself well to get the BG branches in the right spots, well done.
Boreal Owl
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote