owl
Nov, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo of a short eared owl at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey. It's a centre which is in the south of the UK and contains the finest collection of native wildlife in Britain with over forty different native species from tiny harvest mice to red deer. This owl was being flown in the field nearby for a small group of photographers.Time
Probably in the afternoon, though I don't remember exactly.Lighting
The daylight light was quite dim that day, which made for more interesting shapes and textures within my images.Equipment
A Canon 5D3, handheld. I don't get on well with tripods or flash.Inspiration
The owls were so alluring and as soon as I saw this one I knew I wanted an intimate photograph, to show a connection between the owl and the viewer. It took many, many attempts to get, but I am happy with this shot.Editing
The image is very slightly cropped and as the photo was taken on such a dark day I just adjusted the levels to help bring out the shapes and patterns of the owl's magnificent eyes and facial feathers.In my camera bag
Not a lot actually! I usually only pack one camera and 2 or 3 lenses (one small macro, a medium range and a 100 - 400mm), a spare battery and some spare memory cards. I always carry a bottle of water and usually a fleece for when it gets cold, or to sit or lie on on if it's muddy or wet underfoot and I need a low down shot.Feedback
Knowing your camera intimately and having immense patience - in that order! You must understand how your camera works, and know it so well that you don't even need to think about it when yo use it yet be in complete control of it. The settings in the camera are just guessing machines, so you need to make it do what you want, not what it wants! Good patience and humour - shots like these can take hours, sometimes days, to nail. Be prepared for a huge amount of failure and frustration. You can whizz though memory cards like there's no tomorrow, and you may have to visit places where there are owls many times to get that one shot you want, but persistence will eventually pay off. Stick to these two rules and you're on the right track!
