Just spent two days photographing Snowy Owls. I got many shots and the mild snow blindness and windburn is getting a chance to heal. These owls cruise at medium speed and are a challenge to follow. :)
Baited
Snowy Ring of Death
Just spent two days photographing Snowy Owls. I got many shots and the mild snow blindness and windburn is getting a chance to heal. These owls cruise at medium speed and are a challenge to follow. :)
Baited
Great timing,i always like snowy owls
It`s my favorite bird!!!
This is an exceptional shot Bill. I just hope we dont have another Hawk Owl experience where TONNES of people keep baiting the same owl with feeder mice. Hopefully you guys are shooting different individuals and not over-exploiting certain birds. Just my 2c. The image is awesome!!
Bill, Those talons! WOW. Great capture. The eyes on the bait instead of the camera makes this work for me.
Great job on the whites. Bob
Very nice shot love the talons
Quick question .... was this owl baited or were you in the right place at the right time ? Beautiful photo either way.
Thanks for the comments everyone.
Under the image on the left I have stated that the owl was baited for this photo.
Bill Sharkey
Wonderful image of a wonderful bird. Sharp as can be. With a perfect exposure. The view of the outstretched talons is insanely powerful. What lens did you use? How did you determine your exposure?
Here is a tip: next time be sure that your mouse tosser positions the mouse right down the shadow line. That would have ensured that the bird would be headed directly at you (rather than a bit to your right).
I have had to fire more than a fish tossers myself over the years...
later and 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,
E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.
The shape of the talons make this image for me.
Very impressive!
Thank God I'm not a mouse. Amazing image.
WOW....love the view of those powerful feet and talons. Perfect exposure and crop.
Outstanding!!!!!
[QUOTE=Arthur Morris;20493]Wonderful image of a wonderful bird. Sharp as can be. With a perfect exposure. The view of the outstretched talons is insanely powerful. What lens did you use? How did you determine your exposure?
Here is a tip: next time be sure that your mouse tosser positions the mouse right down the shadow line. That would have ensured that the bird would be headed directly at you (rather than a bit to your right).
I have had to fire more than a fish tossers myself over the years..."
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Thanks Arthur, the lens used was a Canon 400mm 5.6 attached to a bushhawk. Exposure was manually set off a light colored barn and checked against the brightest snow to make sure I wasn't blowing any whites and my histogram was not chopped off at the high end of the spectrum.
The position of the mouse was usually as Arthur described, however, getting the owl to cooperate by flying directly at the lens was "hit or miss" as the owl approached differently almost every time. We did learn that baiting in the afternoon was not as good as the morning as the sun was much stronger and the owl tended to shade his eyes from the strong sun.
Thanks
Bill Sharkey
Hey Bill, Thanks for the added info. I was half joshing about the mouse tosser and the light angle. It is one amazing image. What are the temps like in the morning? later and 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,
E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.
Out of curiousity....how many times is " the owl approached differently every time" ?
-----------------------------------Originally Posted by Jim Fenton
Hey Jim,
Sorry, but I am not going to answer that question except to say that I DO bait most of the birds and animals I photograph with food, calls, noises and do it as best as I can with the health of all animals in mind.
And most importantly this new site is fabulous without the politics and I hope it stays that way.
Thanks for the question.
Bill
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Arthur,
the temps in the morning are often -22 degrees C (-10 F), but more important is the wind direction and strength. It is best if the wind and sun are at you back :)
Bill Sharkey
Sweet talons Bill!
Great shot! Love the shadow and details!
Thanks Marc,
We had a very rewarding time in the frigid north :)
Bill
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