Close Encounter of an Owl Kind
Apr, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took the photo in some private woodland I have access too in Lea Marston in the Midlands, England,UK.Time
It was took just before midday.Lighting
The light was poor due to tree cover in the woodland so a high ISO was used, 1000 ISO on a Canon 1Dx DSLR which handles the noise nicely for this workEquipment
I used a Canon 1Dx with a Canon L series 100-400mm zoom. I very rarely use a tripod as I like to keep on the move so the 1Dx is a big advantage in low light.Inspiration
I work a lot with birds of prey with a falconer teaching students to photograph both static and flying birds. We have worked hard to get two birds together in these situations to get shots like this but as everyone knows working with animals is not straight forward. Luckily these Barn Owls are totally fine together but much work was needed to get them happily engaged in the the tight fork of the tree but the birds performed marvellously on this occasion so I share the award with the subjects "Lemon" and "Honey" the Barn Owls.Editing
Just some RAW processing in Lightroom.In my camera bag
I carry as little as possible in my bag as I like to be unhampered so both my 1Dx and 7D Mk2 remain around my neck unless they need protection from the weather but I always have a couple of prime lenses in my bag besides those attached to the camera a 40mm F2.8 and 50mm F1.8. A number of spare batteries, a lens pen (my main life saver) and lots of spare CF and SD cards.Feedback
When working with animals never stop shooting, move angles, adjust settings and make sure your speed is adequate to stop movement. You only need that one shot but taking many will get you the results there is nothing more upsetting than getting home and finding everything is blurred so experiment with your ISO settings beforehand see what your camera is capable of before finding out in the field.
