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Where did that mouse go



behind the lens badge
cameraCanon EOS 5D Mark IV

settings Aperture f/2.8 ISO 100 Shutter 1/320 Focal Length 200/1 

locationPhoenix, Arizona, US

upload_dateJun, 2019

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3028

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15 Comments |
Bellatrix_B2
 
Bellatrix_B2 August 08, 2019
Seriously amazing and absolutely wonderful!!!! :)
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning August 09, 2019
Thank you. I truly appreciate the compliment. I got several shots of this little burrowing owl at 200mm, but this edit came out the best by far.
Mary18
 
Mary18 September 01, 2019
Beautiful shot and such a little cutie!
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning September 01, 2019
Thank you. You are right - they really are little. I needed a 200mm lens plus post-processing cropping to get this image to be the right size and placement in the frame.
texaaronpueschel Platinum
 
texaaronpueschel October 14, 2019
Good work on this. You bring out nice colors on this B burrowing Owl.
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning October 14, 2019
Thank you. I appreciate the compliment.
toddjudd Platinum
 
toddjudd March 05, 2020
Thanks for entering my challenge, this was a close runner-up.
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning March 05, 2020
Thank you. I truly appreciate the compliment.
dewood62
 
dewood62 June 16, 2020
I adore owls. What a sweet character you have captured.
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning June 17, 2020
Thank you. This owl was quite small and quite a distance away. The telephoto lens did its job.
heavenlynn
 
heavenlynn September 12, 2020
Omg this so amazing I could give a thousand words it still wouldn’t be enough !!! Love ???? so much . Thanks for the award honored
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning September 13, 2020
Thank you. I truly appreciate the compliment. Please spend some more time viewing my gallery. I have a couple that are netter than this one.
heavenlynn
 
heavenlynn September 13, 2020
I sure will thanks 🙏
dinahumphreys Platinum
 
dinahumphreys September 25, 2020
I thought I have given you awards. I will review. I was dazzled by all your excellent photos! Have an excellent weekend! 🌝
CPKphoto
 
CPKphoto October 27, 2020
magnifique
RickL PRO+
 
RickL October 31, 2020
Exceptional composition and excellent detail
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning October 31, 2020
Thank you, Rick. It's good to hear from you. This little burrowing owl was quite a distance away. The lens was at its max of 200mm.
ronjudyluv2travel Platinum
 
ronjudyluv2travel November 27, 2020
Beautiful! These burrowing owls are so precious! My wife and I discovered initially in the Scottsdale AZ area. Additional research revealed that we have these cuties migrate through Colorado and reside in various areas on the plains within prairie dog town. Fun!
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning November 27, 2020
Thank you, Ron. This owl was so small and so far away, I had to shoot at 200mm. They are cute. I lived in Aurora in the mid-70s and loved it, but AZ has been my home since 1989.
Arzhtatiana
 
Arzhtatiana March 22, 2021
Nice capture!
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning March 22, 2021
Thank you. She was the cutest little owl posing for the camera.
texaaronpueschel Platinum
 
texaaronpueschel April 26, 2022
Voted for this one, too.
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning April 26, 2022
Wow, thank you.
Sensational
 
Sensational June 29, 2022
Impressive Capture!
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning June 30, 2022
Thank you. I shot this with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L lens at 200mm. This lens has never disappointed.
Dlawt
 
Dlawt December 23, 2022
Wonderful capture!
Steve-n-Ning PRO+
Steve-n-Ning December 23, 2022
Thank you. The owl is small and was quite a distance away. 200mm and careful cropping did the trick.

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#bird #animal #owl
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at the Phoenix Zoo.

Time

This was taken in mid-morning. The day was not particularly warm yet. Consequently, most of the animals were out and about. When the day turns warm, they go to their sheltered spot and are not as visible.

Lighting

This photo was taken with natural light. There was a high overcast that somewhat diffused the usually strong Phoenix sun. This allowed the owl's feather texture and color to be brought out.

Equipment

This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mk IV and a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II lens. The camera was hand-held. The owl is small and was a fair distance away, so the focal length was 200mm. The ISO was 100 at f/2.8 and 1/320th second exposure.

Inspiration

This little owl was very beautiful, especially in the diffused light. The color of its feathers blended with the background colors, which is common with desert dwelling animals so they have natural camouflage. I wanted a large amount of Bokeh, so the lens was at its widest f/2.8 setting.

Editing

Post-processing was done primarily in Adobe Lightroom. The image was cropped, and contrast, highlights and shadows were adjusted to bring out the owl's overall image and its texture. The little ID band on the owl's foot was a bright red, so the color red was reduced to change the band to a neutral color. The final step was bringing the photo into On1 Effects 10 and applying the Landscape Vecchio preset to bring out the gold in the feathers and background.

In my camera bag

My Canon EOS 5D Mk IV usually wears a Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens. That is my go-to lens for the majority of my photos. For this shot, I used a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM lens. I also carry several other lenses: Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. I have one non-Canon lens: a Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. I try to shoot with natural light all the time, but on those occasions where I need an external light source, I use either a Neewer CN-216 LED panel or a Canon Speedlite 580EX. I have tripods by Slik, 3Pod and Manfrotto. I have a Canon EOS 7D, a Canon EOS 30D and a Canon EOS 10D, all of which I still have and use as appropriate.

Feedback

Wildlife in a zoo is a hit-and-miss proposition. One needs a combination of luck and patience. The animal must be visible, facing the right direction, lit adequately and have a pleasing background. Editing can bring out the best in a photo, as was done in this case. But the best editor in the world cannot make a bad photo into a work of art. The raw photo must be of excellent quality. Do not zoom in to your subject too closely; always leave room to crop the image to suit your intent. In this case, the original photo had the owl in the center of the frame to ensure proper focus and exposure on the owl. Subsequent cropping removed extraneous background material and placed the owl into a rule-of-thirds right-hand position. The crop also changed the aspect ratio and image orientation to portrait instead of the original's landscape.

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