It's very rare to see large owls out with any daylight here in Brazil. Studies say it's because of predators. They always start their activities when its dark only. Last week however I found a nest of a large Striped Owl (Rhinoptynx clamator) with an estimated 15 day-old baby. The parents then start to hunt a little before its dark. We actually saw one grabbing a mouse, we could even hear the desperate screams of the rodent... nice!! :D
I have made closer photos of the species at night, with flash (posted here a few days ago), but I prefer this one. I like habitat shots and the owl there seems like the "boss" of those woods. Light was very weak at that moment (check the shutter speed and aperture).
Nikon D200
Nikkor 600mm f/4 AF-S
1/6 @ f/5 - ISO 500 - mirror lock up and cable release
Birds move around so much (even when they seem still) I have rarely seen this approach used (not saying it is wrong). I usually set to Al Servo or One-Shot and grab a hold of something to steady myself. This is a long shutter, maybe flash could have been an option here as well. Beautiful bird, it is lost in the great habitat, and the trade-mark eyes of an owl are absent. Challenging shutter/configuration to produce a sharp image - very creative.
This is a very decent result for a 1/6s Octavio but it is not only good from the excelent long lens technique but also from an artistic point of view. I like the pano crop a lot and the composition is very good to excelent IMO. I would add a touch of more saturation to the image and selective saturation of the reds in the owl to enhance the tonality of last light of the day and I would adjust the levels in the right eye of the owl. EXCELENT image
Excellent comp and feel for the habitat you found this owl in. My first concern was of the dark eye, Juan's repost has addressed this nicely, and also improved the colours. Although the newly lit eye looks good for the web it would be interesting to see if noise issues pop up on the original size.
Striped Owl in habitat
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