Great Horned Owl + owlets

[Jason G. Harrison]

I know this is not a technically perfect image. It is however one of the more open Owl nests I have ever found. Sure, I can clean up the backgroud to elimimate the distracting limbs, etc...but I just could not do it. This is a shot at a very large nest in the middle of a huge sycamore tree. I have many images of this family. I only had about a 1 hour window of shooting for good light on these each day, the 1st hour after sunrise. Any later than that and the sun angle was such that it created harsh shadows on their glorious eyes. Due to the height of this nest I also had to get a further distance away to avoid extreme angles.

This was shot with a D300, 600VR, 1.7tc, f/8, ISO 800, 1/1600th ss, +.7EV compensation



Hope you enjoy.

Jason

[Stu Bowie]

The early light is cast perfectly on all the eyes, and love the overall colours in this. I appreciate your ethics regarding not cleaning up the distracting branches - this is how it is - and this is how it stays. Comp wise, I would maybe take a bit off the top and bottom. BTW, good to see the chicks.

[Mital Patel]

what a brilliant image this is. superb lighting.

[Tony Whitehead]

Lovely warm light. I especially like the eye contact between the owlets and parent. A closer crop may be a way of maximizing the curved diagonal and eliminating some of the BG clutter. If it were mine I would try a version without the BG branches.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the light and interaction, the tighter crop is a good idea. It looks as if the little ones want something. :)

[Arthur Morris]

Tony's crop improves a very nice, sharp image by tightening up the COMP. I would suggest a bit more off of the left. The big expanse behind the chicks in the original post adds nothing at all to the image; why keep it?

[Arthur Morris]

ps: General advice that I give often, "Nobody gives a rat's a _ _ what's going on behind the birds....

[Harshad Barve]

lovely light and colors here ,
Repost by Tony looks great
TF

[Marina Scarr]

You must have been tickled pink just to see this scene, never mind have an opportunity to photograph it. I like Tony's repost. The BG branches would be pretty easy to clean up if you had the inclination. Love the way the bark is falling off the tree. There is a lot of texture here and the light is simply gorgeous.

[Jason G. Harrison]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I will try a version without the limbs and a tighter crop. I agree the space behind the chicks adds nothing to the image. As to the branch removal...I have always in the past avoided such work, however, I am allowing myself to do it here and there. Once I get it done I will do a repost.

[Jason G. Harrison]

Here is a repost. Different crop and removal of the branches.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I will try a version without the limbs and a tighter crop. I agree the space behind the chicks adds nothing to the image. As to the branch removal...I have always in the past avoided such work, however, I am allowing myself to do it here and there. Once I get it done I will do a repost.

Be careful Jason. Once you set one foot on the slippery slope there is no telling where you might wind up!