"Soft Landing"
Dec, 2015Views
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shiannemcalamia
December 12, 2018
Wow beautiful photo! Do you mind me asking what camera you use? I’m looking to upgrade my camera
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was captured near the Minesing Wetlands area in Simcoe County, Ontario Canada.Time
Late afternoon in March.Lighting
Golden light just prior to sunset. There was a bit of cloud cover that diffused the light somewhat.Equipment
Canon 7D Mk II Canon 500mm F/4 IS Hand held 1/2500 @ f/5.0, ISO 800Inspiration
This particular field had hosted a Snowy Owl all winter long. As spring approached other Snowys migrating north were stopping over in the area, which is known for the Snowy Owls that frequent there. As a resident bird for the winter, this owl had established its territory, and was defending it against the new arrivals. After each flight to chase away an interloper she would return to the same fencepost to keep watch. While she was chasing other birds away I was able to move up a little closer each time, until I got into position to capture this image just as she flared her magnificent wings for the landing.Editing
Exposure backed off -10 and highlights reduced -80 in Lightroom. Then in Photoshop a layer of Nik detail extractor was applied to bird at 10% opacity to bring back some of the feather detail, then noise reduction was applied to the background only. A contrast adjustment layer was added to make the white bird pop against the brown grasses in the background.In my camera bag
Canon 7D Mk II Canon 5D Mk III Canon 500mm f/4 IS Canon 100-400 F/4.5-5.6 IS II Canon 24-70 F/4 IS 1.4x/2x extenders Canon Speedlight 550 EX flashFeedback
Be patient, observant and respect the animal. If you sit still in one place without moving too much when shooting birds or wildlife, I find the subjects will eventually get used to your presence and eventually return to their natural behaviors. Wearing camo clothing helps too.
