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pixelmac

gulp

NIKON D2Hs

settings

Aperture 32/10 ISO 400 Shutter 1/1000 Focal Length 2000/10

upload_date

Jul, 2016

Views

1193

Likes

+103

Awards

Contest Finalist in Food Chain Struggles Photo Contest

Peer Award

+39

Magnificent Capture

+13

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Genius

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

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Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took the photo at the Wilhelma Zoo Stuttgart, Germany. I often walked by that owl cage, but in most cases the owl just sat there, sometimes even in a corner where it was hard to see. On this occasion I came by just after feeding time and I saw why owls are predators ...

Time

The picture was taken about 4pm in late September 2008. I was on my way to the exit of the zoo when I saw that owl.

Lighting

No great or elaborate lighting on this shot. I was lucky to have enough light to have a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. (1/1000s, f/3.2, ISO 400). It was just a matter of getting the camera fast enough to the eye to get the shot.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D2Hs with a 70-200mm/2.8 lens, no flash (I do not flash animals, even if it wouldn't be forbidden by the zoo rules). Also no tripod (wouldn't have helped here anyway).

Inspiration

When I saw the owl grasping the dead chick I was happy to get another shot than the usual "owl sitting and doing nothing" picture. I didn't expect the owl to gulp the chick as a whole, though...

Editing

The photo is only minimally retouched, I corrected the color balance a bit and did a bit of sharpening and contrast enhancement. Nothing more.

In my camera bag

After my Nikon equipment grew to heavy for my taste, I switched to the Micro Four Thirds system. Nowadays, I use an Olympus E-M1 Mk. II with a bunch of lenses.

Feedback

When walking through the zoo, take your time in front of the different animals to learn their behaviour. On each visit, you might still see something unexpected, so keep your camera ready at all times. And look at the feeding plans ;)

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gulp

Behind The Lens

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