phoochan
FollowA Great Gray Owl hopping off from the hunting ground after its first failed attempt to grab for a quick meal.
A Great Gray Owl hopping off from the hunting ground after its first failed attempt to grab for a quick meal.
Read less
Read less
Views
7752
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Hero Award
Contest Finalist in Our Natural World Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Contest Finalist in Freshmen 2016 Photo Contest Vol 2
Contest Finalist in The Battle Of Amateurs Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Animal Kingdom Photo Contest Vol 1
Spring Selection Award
Contest Finalist in Freshmen 2016 Photo Contest
Editor's Choice
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Categories
vivijo
April 26, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
vivijo
April 26, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
sarahdarvill
December 16, 2016
You should enter this in my Birds in Flight photo challenge!
The link is:
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/free-as-a-bird-photo-challenge-by-sarahdarvill
The link is:
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/free-as-a-bird-photo-challenge-by-sarahdarvill
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
The shot was taken at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park of Humboldt County, CA. This has been a special appearance of the Great Gray Owl in the county since the last sighting of it was reported 34 years ago back in January of 1982.Time
It was taken around 4:00PM on a heavy overcast and drizzly day when the owl came out for hunting.Lighting
Natural lighting was not at its best therefore, this image was shot wide open at f/4 with ISO set at 1250 in order to maintain the optimal 1/1600s shutter speed resulting in a nice touch of wings blur while providing a sense of motions taking place.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon EOS 1DX with EF600mm f/4 lens on a Gitzo tripod coupled with Uniqball UBH45 ballhead. No flash was used.Inspiration
A trip to Minnesota for this raptor has been high on my bucket list. Despite the long 8-hour-one-way driving to Humboldt County, it is still much better than braving the cold of Minnesota weather since I'm never fond of shooting in the freezing snow. This has motivated me to jump on the bandwagon along with other photographers and birders alike flocking Humboldt County for the owl that turned itself into a celebrity.Editing
I keep a simple workflow that I use for postprocessing for consistency. Firstly, I cropped and made basic adjustments to the sharpness, shadows and highlights after importing into Adobe Lightroom. Once I was done with basic adjustment I brought the image into Adobe Photoshop for the finishing touch such as applying noise reduction and contrast.In my camera bag
I always carry two teleconverters in my bag a)1.4X and b)2.0X which are essential for bird photography to extend the reach along with spare batteries and extra compact flash cards.Feedback
Capturing a tack sharp image is just not enough bird-in-flight aka BIF photography. In addition to the correct gear settings, below three elements would help to enhance your final result: 1. Flying direction. The bird has to be flying toward your direction or at least side way. 2. Eye contact is essential which is achievable when 1 is met. Item 1 can be broken if the bird looked back at you with great eye contact. 3. A creamy background would enhance your subject further instead of just a blue sky.