A Stern Look

[Steve Canuel]

40D, 400DO + 2xTC, f10, 1/80s, ISO 800, +1/3 EC, tripod, MLU, cable release, slight crop from bottom, top, and left, removed part of a branch coming in from left (as viewed).

[david cramer]

A lovely perch and the owl pops out of the background. While the eyes appear sharp, much of the bird seems soft (ears, upper chest), which may just be the feathering or movement with the slow ss.

[Peter Wallack]

I do see some work of some kind done near the ears. You don't have an ear obsession do you?:)

More importantly, I think this is a very fine image indeed.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Steve, this looks pretty sharp to me. She seems pretty relaxed, so well done on getting your chance with her. I like how the feet are covered, and would probably add a tad to the bottom, and a little more on top.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Nice one Steve! Although a centered comp would have worked well, I really do like the slightly off-centered approach you took with your crop here. I also like the aptly weathered perch, very cool. I would tone down the lighter spot in URC, and perhaps raise the colour temp just a wee bit more.

[Doug Brown]

This is a situation where I might underexpose a hair to preserve shutter speed, as 1/80 can be a bit of a challenge. I like the pose, perch, and BG.

[Steve Canuel]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone.

David, I did run a bit of a blur because the pic was looking a little oversharpened. I can say though, that the ears and upper chest areas do consistently look overly smooth on every owl picture I've taken. I believe that's one of the things that contribute to their silent flight.

Peter, no work was done on or near the ears. The ears are no more than 3-4 feathers thick and they've always looked soft/OOF on every picture I've taken.

Doug, thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep it in mind for the next opportunity.

[David Fletcher]

Like this Steve. Nice softness to this image. Suits it. WD!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the stare, BG and soft light. I might raise the color temperature a few degrees.

[Harshad Barve]

All points are well covered here
But I am simply loving that Pose :)
TFS

[Richard Stern]

Hi,

Given the name of the post, I guess I have to comment! Lovely image, and I agree with the other comments, but for me it would have been even better if the eyes were looking straight ahead rather than down.

Richard