Hawk Owl hunting over the snow
Taken in Finland this Hawk Owl swooped down so quickly, I was very lucky to capture this shot
Taken in Finland this Hawk Owl swooped down so quickly, I was very lucky to capture this shot
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Jun, 2014Views
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Awards
Action Award
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Contest Finalist in Only Owls Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in One Is Enough Photo Contest
Runner Up in Flying Low Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Flying Low Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Glorious Moments Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Superb Composition
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on my very last morning in Finland, we decided to give it our last shot at trying to capture this beautiful male Hawk owl. They are so hard to photograph as they move so quick, they can swoop down & be gone before you have even had the chance to press the shutter.Time
This was taken early morning, on a beautiful sunny morning, which helps with shutter speed but hard to get the exposure right.Lighting
I never use a flash, this image was taken with normal early morning lighting.Equipment
My camera I used was a Canon 1D mark1V The lens I used was a Canon 70-200 2.8 is I hand held the camera to take this, as I found it easier. On this occasion I had hired a 500 lens but, found it much easier to sit in the snow. It was deep snow so used it as a back rest too to support me. This is why I have managed to get a low view of the Hawk owl My settings were Aperture f4 iso 800 exposure +1.67 with a shutter speed of 1/3200Inspiration
I had been trying over four days to get a good shot of the Hawk owl, yes I did get some before this but, this is my best shot. The others were taken on cloudy snowy days. It was just perseverance .Editing
The only thing I have done to this image is to crop it slightly & used highlights & shadowsIn my camera bag
Normally I will have 2 camera bodies, Canon 1Dmark 1V & Canon 1Dmark 3 Lens canon 400 5.6 Canon 70-200 canon 24-70 Sigma 10-20 low angle also convertor 1.4Feedback
The only advice I can give is never give up, on this occasion I thought I was never going to get that special shot, everything was just right weather & the bird turned up!! I can sit for hours waiting & go home with nothing but, when you do get THAT SHOT it makes it all worth while. I would say put your iso up so that you get a high shutter speed, especially if its moving. Its better to have a sharp noisy image than a blurred one that you cant use. Check you background so that nothing is going to spoil the image. Get down low its much better than standing looking down on your subject, its also all about patience but most of all ENJOY IT.
