DSC00487
Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph of the owl was taken during a day out, at Riverside Steam & Vintage Vehicle Rally in Tarleton, Lancashire. I'm a self-taught photographer, so the majority of my photographs are taken spontaneously "in the field", using hints and tips that I've picked up from magazines, websites and whole lot of trial and error.Time
I'd arrived at the rally around 9am. I'd already strolled past rows of pristine polished motorcycles. It was a warming but still day; which is quite memorable for these vintage vehicle rallies in the UK. Hosting events with British weather in fields is always going to run the risk of being a wash out.`Lighting
Being outdoors in an open field doesn't really offer much in the way of light I can control. It was what I call a "Photograph day" it was bright and cloudy, so plenty of light, but no obviously dark shadows.Equipment
I take my photos with a Sony DSC-HX400V. The only additional piece of equipment i use is a lens hood. I find the 24-1200mm lens offers so much flexibility. The actual colour and monochrome effect is done by the camera as the image is captured. When i was younger my parents captured photos on film. So i suppose, I don't really edit my photographs much beyond a "tweak".Inspiration
It has to be those eyes. they were just so brilliantly yellow contrast against the rest of the owl. It's not the most common sight in the UK so i took advantage and tried a few settings.Editing
There was a little post-processing with this image. I added the dark vignette effect to help the yellow contrast more and to focus the image on the owl. I didn't even crop this image as it was captured 1:1 in the camera.In my camera bag
I don't carry too many extra items. I find the 24-1200mm lens already causes much disagreement with many photographers, but it reduces my need to carry extra lenses (its a bridge camera, so you can't fit them anyway). So my bag usually has spare batteries & SD cards, lens hood, and a Circular Polarising filter (because you never know when you might encounter a reflective surface)Feedback
All i can suggest is take lots of shots. Animals are quite unpredictable. They can make sudden movements with their heads, or decide to simply fly away. Unfortunately the photograph is very "in the moment". I wouldn't advise anyone uses the flash in this situation, creatures with big eyes would be very sensitive to it.
