Short Eared Owl Flight

[Michael Lotito]

Canon 1D Mark 4 With EF 500mm f4 & 1.4 tc
1/320 sec, F5.6, ISO 1600

Had another go at some short eared owls. This one was backlit but I am happy with the result. It depicts how well these birds hover over prey. I was lucky enough to have this one fly right at me and hunt 30 feet away.Thanks for looking.


Michael Lotito
Aquebogue, NY

[allanrube]

I am not sure I like it backlit but you caught a wonderful pose. I like the attention shown in its eyes.

[Mike Tracy]

Back lit doesn't detract at all. I like the light shining through it's feathers. Nice wing and hovering position. The attentiveness of his eyes is captivating.

[AlvanBuckley]

You caught a great pose, I'm not sure if I like that much wing blur. A faster shutter speed may have improved the image, IMO. Although that's probably tough considering you're already at 1600 ISO.
TFS

[Todd Frost]

Nice hovering pose Michael. Backlighting works well here for me. Sharp where it counts. Well done.
TFS
Todd

[Colin Driscoll]

I like the way the image has isolated the face and body. I think a bit of careful work with dodging and burning could separate the part under the beak from the wing behind.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice, I wish the details were sharper, but you had no choice at that SS.

[Alfredo Fernández]

Really cool,
i like the composition, wings angle and the saturated eyes

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Very nice indeed. loved the light here. sharp head and blurred wings work for me....otherwise, it would not convey the hoverring.

[Manjeet & Yograj Jadeja]

lovely pose

[Doug Brown]

I had meant to comment on this image, but never got around to it. I just love this species, and you've done a pretty good job capturing its hunting behavior. With a Mark IV and a relatively light subject, you could have pushed your ISO a little higher to get more SS. My only issue with the image is the cyan color cast. Here's a repost with the cast removed.