IMG_0123
Jan, 2015Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
People's Choice in Great Horned Owl Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Love it
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. This owl is a common resident all over South Africa. The exact place is at the foothills of the Drakensberg at a place called nThabamhlope ( White Mountain).Time
The photo was taken in the afternoon before dusk, the sun has not set yet and it was before the "golden hour". Unfortunately a thunderstorm caused the light to fade quickly and the owl flew off to find cover.Lighting
As said the light was still a bit harsh, as the African sun can be, but it was not midday. No fill-in flash was used and the "model" was not keen to move off so I could play with a variety of settings to achieve different results. The breeze caused the ears to be blown in a nice pose.Equipment
The camera is a Canon EOS 600D ( I think internationally it is part of the Rebel -range) I did not use a tri-pod or flash because the light was still very bright and could use a faster shutter speed. The aperture setting was f/11.0 with an ISO of 640 and the exposure was 1/800 sec. The lens I use the most for my bird photography is the Tamron 150-600mm (real value for money), in this instance the lens was set to a maximum focal length of 600mm.Inspiration
I am a keen bird photographer, not so much a bird watcher. My VB album reveals this passion. I did grow up in one of South Africa's best bird watcher's area and as a little boy I always dreamed of a day when I could afford a camera to take photo's of my feathered friends.Editing
My post-processing skills are very limited and I only cropped the photo to get it ready for ViewBug. I have now enrolled in a PhotoShop on-line course and hope to improve my post-processing skills, soon.In my camera bag
In my bag are the following: Only 1 camera, my Canon EOS 600D. I bought it as a Kit and have the 50-300 mm; an 18 - 50 mm Canon Lens and the Tamron 150- 600mm lens. My Canon flash is 1982 model for a Canon A1 film camera, and I do use it now one my digital camera (mostly manual settings). I do have a Mono-Pod and a Tripod that normally travel along. Monetary limitations is not a draw-back to enjoy my hobby.Feedback
The main advice I can give is patience if you want to take photos of birds. One must be ready for the moment and use the opportunity. More than often things will not work out but the times a nice photo is taken is more rewarding than many other things. I have never taken photos in a studio and being an outdoors person trying to capture moments, I happily accept my failures. The failures motivates me to take a better photo next time when the opportunity arises.
