Camo #2: Pacific Screech-Owl

[Bill Dix]

La Ensenada, Costa Rica, last month. I know I've seen better owl images posted here (among other things I cut off his virtual feet), but I liked the bark-like texture of the Owl's breast feathers and thought it demonstrated how a bird's plumage can sometimes mimic its surroundings. This was taken under difficult conditions, at twilight with flashlight-assisted focus. Another case of impressive spotting by our guide, to find this guy hidden in a dark hole in a tree. A bit of dodging and burning makes him more visible here than he was in reality.

D7000 | 80-400VR @ 400mm | ISO 3200 | 1/60s @ f/6.3 | Fill flash (SB700 + BB) @ -2.0EV | monopod

[bhavya joshi]

looks like Invincible owl.. Bill.. nice spotted by guide.. I also like the dark texture.. I enjoy really.. Thanks for sharing.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes to the neat camo but this fails as a good photograph: much too cluttered and not very not sharp.... I do not get -2 stops EC.... Even with Nikon. -1/3 at the most should have been fine....

[Bill Dix]

Yes to the neat camo but this fails as a good photograph: much too cluttered and not very not sharp.... I do not get -2 stops EC.... Even with Nikon. -1/3 at the most should have been fine....

Thanks for looking, Artie. I agree this falls short as a photograph; best I got under the circumstances. I wish I had a better one to illustrate the bark-like texture of his breast, which was my interest in posting it. Maybe a subject more appropriate for a birding forum than a photography one. Still, I've posted the third in my Camo series this morning, in case anyone's interested.

As to the -2.0 EV, that was the Speedlite setting. The camera exposure comp was 0EV, which I neglected to include in the EXIF.