LEO Youngster II

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi folks ...
for a change one of the youngsters , from some days ago .
I really like the one ear feather ........ giving a funny overall look to the Owl


Canon EOS Dx II
EF 500 IS L II
HH standing on ladder as far is could get up ... quite unstable ... did not feel relaxed to be honest .
It was like getting the rig up , frame and fire a couple of shots .... and rest . Funny how much I moved back and forth to keep my balance ....even get worse with the camera at the eye .

F 6,3 ; Iso 2500 ; 1/2000 sec

Processed with DPP and PSCC 2021 , cropped and added canvas to the top and LHS for comp .

Thanks for looking and commenting to my previous posting

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, it's all coming together nicely and with each image, everything is becoming stronger, albeit they keep changing location. BKG looks great, but did you miss some masking below the main branch, it just looks like colour rather than foliage over some of the elements? The stare, eyes and HA is awesome, don't you just love the way they bob their heads in pin-pointing focus.

Your call on the branches, but with the raw, a monitor rather than a laptop, it is doable if you want to remove them? Again, your call, but I think you could just tweak things a fraction more re colour, but again we all see things differently.

Worth the perseverance, keep them coming and don't move to another subject, just enjoying the development of the series.

TFS
Steve

PS Changed from MK3 to 2?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Andreas,

Super cute young owl and sharp with a good exposure. I am glad that you did not fall on your head :)

The mixed light on the bird the butt- ugly perch are far less than ideal. Perhaps you could set ip your tallest tripod and work at 1000mm and crop to just the face. Steve's lightening of the shadowed face is an improvement but with part of the bird in the sun and part in the shade, you are up against it ...

with love, artie

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Andreas, it's all coming together nicely and with each image, everything is becoming stronger, albeit they keep changing location. BKG looks great, but did you miss some masking below the main branch, it just looks like colour rather than foliage over some of the elements? The stare, eyes and HA is awesome, don't you just love the way they bob their heads in pin-pointing focus.

Your call on the branches, but with the raw, a monitor rather than a laptop, it is doable if you want to remove them? Again, your call, but I think you could just tweak things a fraction more re colour, but again we all see things differently.

Worth the perseverance, keep them coming and don't move to another subject, just enjoying the development of the series.

TFS
Steve

PS Changed from MK3 to 2?

Thanks Steve ... no masking issue , just OOF colors !! Below the main branch is as shot .... apart from a tiny OOF stick on RHS . The distracting sticks ( in front of the subject) are not ideal ... but I could not get it done , without any ( if looking critical at 100% view) signs of clone or repair work . As a consequence I can greatly live with them ... reagardless what others think !!!!!
I am open to suggestions re color .... what is your thinking ???

MK 3 or MK 2 ... well I just grabbed both , one with the 200 - 400 and the other one with the 500 .

You can be sure I am more than happy to have the owls close by , if time allows I check them out . Funny enough I found none of them this morning ... on the way back home ( 100 m ) I found the kids high up in a birch ( 15 m ) . Even more funny .... just one hour ago I found Dad in my garden , hidden in a thick bush .... 2,50 high , just because he was calling .

It is great fun .... never had owls as residents in our area ... neighbor is living here for over 30 years , never saw them that close .

Cheers Andreas

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Andreas,

Super cute young owl and sharp with a good exposure. I am glad that you did not fall on your head :)

The mixed light on the bird the butt- ugly perch are far less than ideal. Perhaps you could set ip your tallest tripod and work at 1000mm and crop to just the face. Steve's lightening of the shadowed face is an improvement but with part of the bird in the sun and part in the shade, you are up against it ...

with love, artie

Thanks Artie .... you can be sure I would do a lot to get cleaner shots , without causing too much disturbance for the Owls . Too many variables keeping me away from the " perfect picture in YOURS & OTHERS " heads .... and I can happily live with outcome I have . I do understand the reservations you might have .... and it is fully ok to share them .
Regarding the tripod ... sorry I have to laugh out really loud .... subjects sitting between 7 - 15 m above the ground , me standing on ladder 5m long .... maybe I should ask GITZO to build one for me .

And last but not least ... I am more than ok with the lighting , believe it or not .

I do enjoy this very much .... even if things could be better , but mother nature is dictating my options .

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, re colour, I just 'globally' tweaked it using an old way of colour correcting files, but no issue for me, I just added it into the mix.

Knowing now the location, thanks for that, you are in a tough spot, no question. Years ago I used a cheery picker, but just a thought - if you are off this week, look at hiring a scaffolding tower, then stick some camo netting around the top section, but construct if away from site, then each day move it closer and let them get used to it, until you make the 'comfortable zone' and ultimately they are not stressed. Once there, camp up there for the day, safe and it's mobile if they move short distances, but just a thought.

200-400 thats some weight to be dangling with, make sure the insurance is up to date.

I love owls you know that, but yes, use neighbours for intel and tell them what you are doing, they can be very helpful. No idea what their range is, the Tawny I found has a 40-50 acre range!!!!

[Andreas Liedmann]

Good idea with the tower .... but this going too far !!!
I am already happy , that they let me run around their backyard ..... I do not want to go too far , if you know what I mean

[Steve Kaluski]

Good idea with the tower .... but this going too far !!!

I did say it was just a thought, it's probably from spending too much time in a hide, surrounded by 4-6ft of wild rhubarb, the leaves are something from the Amazon!!!!

Put wheels on your ladder...

[Andreas Liedmann]

LOL .... I take it with a smile .

[Joseph Przybyla]

Hi Andreas, a wonderful looking owl, love the eyes. From reading your comments a great find and encounter. From a technical sense the images might not be perfect but when capturing images of wild creatures we cannot choose or improve the conditions presented. I think you did the best in a difficult situation. Keep the images coming I am enjoying looking at them. Thank you for sharing.

[Bill Dix]

Wonderful stare from this cute youngster. Well done under the circumstances. A number of years ago a friend of a friend discovered a pair of owlets in a tree on his property. He wanted someone to come take some pictures of them, and I was happy to oblige, but they were high up in a tree. As it happened, he was a contractor, had a platform lift, and he let Geoffrey and me use it to get a bit closer. But not as close as you were able to get on your shaky ladder.

[Anthony Barsotti]

Very nice shot, not easy to get a clear look at this species so great work finding the right angle. I think playing with some curves layers on the face to even out the lighting might help but since you said you like the lighting as-is it's really neither here nor there. Definitely be careful up on that ladder, looking forward to more shots of these youngsters!

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Andreas, great eye contact here, together with the single raised feather on the head. Gotta love those eyes, and I do like the plumage detail.

[Daniel Cadieux]

A few issues that have already been identified and talked about, but I gotta say that the image made me smile upon opening it - so emotionally it works. Been there, done that as far as ladders go (for woodpeckers) so I can relate to the shakiness lol.

[John Mack]

Love the pose and that stare from the owl. Nice vertical framing. Detail looks very nice.