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GREAT HORNED OWL EYE
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GREAT HORNED OWL EYE



behind the lens badge
cameraCanon EOS 7D

settings Aperture f/6.3 ISO 2000 Shutter 1/1000 Focal Length 500/1 

upload_dateOct, 2018

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1658

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Zenith Award
Winner in Image Cropping Photo Challenge
Legendary Award
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Magnificent Capture
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Categories

11 Comments |
Mspower
 
Mspower December 13, 2018
Fantastic
DianeJuneW
 
DianeJuneW December 20, 2018
Absolute clarity
JayneBug Ultimate
 
JayneBug July 13, 2019
Outstanding macro, image, detail and capture. Congratulations on your People's Choice award.
Pamelabole PRO
 
Pamelabole July 13, 2019
Stunning capture...amazing detail!! Congrats on your challenge award!! : )
Eddieuuu071 Platinum
 
Eddieuuu071 January 13, 2022
Thank you for submitting your wonderful photo to my “Best Owl” photo challenge! I have placed it in my favorites from which the winner will be chosen. Best wishes!
JayneBug Ultimate
 
JayneBug June 08, 2022
Outstanding image on every level. A standout for detail, color, and cropped to showcase this owl perfectly. The eyes are intriguing and beautiful. Well done...my congratulations!
deekaycee Ultimate
 
deekaycee June 08, 2022
Magnificent! Way to go on your challenge victory’
Pamelabole PRO
 
Pamelabole June 08, 2022
Amazing image....congrats on your challenge win!!!
DebbieKMiller81 Platinum
 
DebbieKMiller81 June 19, 2022
Great detail in the feathers and eye.
LindieK PRO
 
LindieK July 09, 2022
Nice crop.
Eddieuuu071 Platinum
 
Eddieuuu071 July 21, 2023
This is a wonderful image! Thank you for submitting it to my Owls Challenge. It’s in the final group of favorites from which the winner will be chosen!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#Great Horned Owl #owl #bird #raptor #eye
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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this shot of a great horned owl at a regional park on the outskirts of Phoenix Arizona. It was sitting on a nest in a cactus early one morning. I had my 500mm telephoto lens on my camera hoping to see some wildlife when I saw it. The nest was about 10 feet above the ground. I was able to get up a hill behind the cactus so I was eye level with the owl. The owl was curious, but not afraid so I could get as close as the terrain allowed. I had already set up my camera settings for the light of the morning. I took some "for sure shots" and then put the camera on a tripod to try for even better shots.

Time

This turned out to be the sharpest and best shot of the series. I am an early riser and often go out just before sunrise which allows me to hike to spots I think might have wildlife just as the sun is coming up.

Lighting

On this occasion I was lucky that the sun was coming up over the small hill I had climbed as that made the light shine on the owl from behind me. I hoped this might give a good catch light in the owl's eye as well. It did!

Equipment

As the owl was content just to watch me and try to nod off, I was able to get my Canon 7D with the 500mm telephoto lens onto the tripod and attach the cable release I carry with me. I was even able to go to live mode later in the series of shots and enlarge so as to manually focus with more precision. The sun light was just right so no artificial light was needed.

Inspiration

Wildlife is just one genre I like to shoot. While attending an Audubon meeting I heard one of the birders mention she had seen an owl nest at this park. I asked her for more details and decided to investigate the tip for myself. Knowing that owls hunt by night and sleep by day, I planned to go at sunrise hoping to get the owl landing. I was to late for that, but she was very visible in the nest and looked like she was settling in to tend her chicks. I recognized the opportunity and took it.

Editing

When I looked at the original of this image, I was really taken with it. But I wanted to really make it special. I cropped it so the eye was at the upper left power point and the bill was at the lower right power point. I had seen that arrangement in a Renoir painting and loved it, so I tried that on this image. I think that really worked for this case. I also wanted the viewer to really focus on the owl so I cropped out as much of the background as I could and then burned what remained into black so as to eliminate any distractions. I do have other shots that show much more of the environment, but this is the one I like the best.

In my camera bag

When I go out to shoot birds or other wildlife, I carry my Canon 7D with attached 500mm Sigma telephoto lens. I use the strap to carry this around my neck and shoulder. I also wear a hunters vest to carry extra batteries, cards, and release cable. I also use it to put my lens cap in a safe place when I take it off. If there is no wind and I am not walking far, I carry my light weight tripod in its carrying case. Many times I can't use the tripod as the animal is moving and there no time. But, on occasion, I find a nest or a spot where I can set up and wait for the animal to arrive.

Feedback

I would never have found this owl had I not joined the Audubon society and attend the meetings to learn about bird locations and behavior. There is a side benefit of doing this. I would go on birding trips with the birders. I would be the only one with a telephoto lens and the birders would want a close up of the bird and ask me if I could get it. Essentially the birders became my spotters! It was a win win situation as long as I did not slow them down.

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