Long-eared Owl-4074G
A Long-eared Owl photographed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
A Long-eared Owl photographed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
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Apr, 2016Views
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Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 3
Contest Finalist in Our Natural World Photo Contest
Member Selection Award
Featured
Contest Finalist in Animal Kingdom Photo Contest Vol 1
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was captured in an undeveloped portion of a city park in Escanaba, Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan.Time
This was captured in the early evening, which was the soonest I could get there after hearing that it had been spotted.Lighting
The light overcast of the snow clouds made for soft lighting for a nice portrait of this owl.Equipment
This was captured with a Canon 500mm f/4 lens on a 7D MkII, mounted on a Wimberley Sidekick and RRS BH-55 ballhead on a Gitzo tripod.Inspiration
I am very interested in photographing birds and am a member of an email bird notification group from my area. When I heard this owl had been seen I contacted the guy who reported the sighting and drove the hour and a half to see if I could photograph it.Editing
This was captured as a jpeg image because the version of Lightroom I had at that time did not support this camera. I then used Lightroom for basic optimization of highlights, shadows and contrast.In my camera bag
What I carry depends on what I am photographing. For birds, it is usually my Canon 500mm f/4 and 1.4x extender on my 7D MkII. If I know I am going to have to hand-hold my camera I substitute my Canon 100-400mm for the 500mm. For Northern Lights I use my 6D and one of my wide-angle prime lenses.Feedback
The larger the telephoto lens, the further you can be from an owl like this and the less your presence will bother it. A large telephoto lens also means that a solid tripod and possibly, as in this case, a gimble head is required. In this situation I was able to be far enough away that the owl didn't seem to be bothered all that much by me being there so I was able to get some natural looking images. Since conditions can change quickly, the better you know how to change the settings on your camera the better prepared you will be to capture the image you are looking for when the opportunity presents itself. It is also a good idea to know what you are likely to need as far as aperture and shutter speed and to pre-set those before you leave your vehicle. Seagulls can be great practice subjects that can get you prepare to capture a much less common bird such as this owl.
