Long eared owl

[Ray Rozema]

Nikon D200 600 mm TC 1.4x
F5.6 SS 1/100 ISO 400
Aperture priority EV + .7 ISO 400 WB auto
Very cloudy mid-day, bird partially in the shade

I realize BG busy but that is where they are. I don't like the bird being in the center but if add more to left side then, it seems too much dead space LLHC. Few twigs removed that were going horizontally behind the bird, The soft area under the chin is original not due to cloning

Suggestions for cropping and other issue welcome.

Thanks for looking
Ray

[Harold Davis]

i dont mind the bg here. as you say, it's their habitat. seems a little dark to me. not by much!! the bird is looking slightly right. i would have positioned it to the left of the frame to give it room to look into.

you did great with the focal distance and the slow shutter speed!! nice job!!

[Alfred Forns]

Agree with Harold !!!

Would lighten the bird just a bit and maybe darken the corners just a bit for centering attention on the owl Just set the black/point in levels, selected the bird and did a small curves adjustment the darken the corners. All little changes !!

[Dan Brown]

Nice one Ray! I like Al's version. Is this one of the Mercy Hot Springs owls from this year?

[Bill Dix]

Amazing shot. In my neck of the woods Long-eared Owls are extremely shy, and I've felt privileged the few times I've just been able to get a glimpse of one - never managed a photograph. Where was this taken? I like the habitat, and Al's repost really helps make it pop.

[Bob Miller]

Hi Ray.....When i first looked at your post i thought it was a bit dark....The repost looks very good! The background does not bother me. Nice shot!

[Lance Peters]

Great Bird!! - AL's repost adresses my points, BG does not bother me at all - shows the habitat.
Love those eyes and ears.
:)

[Gordon McKechnie]

Lovely shot, particularly with the bird lightened up a bit

[Ray Rozema]

Thanks to everyone for your comments. Especially to Al for the repost a definite improvement.
To Dan Brown this is from Mercy Hotsprings, a few weeks ago . There was close to 10 birds there but for 2 hours they stayed deep in the trees until this one flew out.

Ray:)

[Ray Rozema]

Al, I like the change but I don't understand your instructions on how you made the change. "Just set the black/point in levels, selected the bird and did a small curves adjustment the darken the corners."
How is using level and curve adjustment better than changing brightness or exposure selectively?

Thanks very much.
Ray

[GehringT]

Great shot..love the eyes and the ears. The BG to me does not detract from the main subject. The lightened bird really makes the image pop.