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Cuteness overload

Cuteness overload
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Views

891

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Awards

Winner in The Beauty of Owls Photo Challenge
Peer Award
CanonDLee Flinforth dianehannamalanga candiscamera bclumberjack emacdonald thatblackandwhitelabby +11
Superb Composition
Davies2308 surendrachaturvedi Alla-Reza Aeri Capture-Life AlTri winnerslens31 +2
Absolute Masterpiece
suesharpe beckyreding trune66 lamobeus pietnel
Superior Skill
p_eileenbaltz Paul_Joslin debbietintle modelmeemaw
Top Choice
thatunicorngal ElizePrinsloo Maadhatter
All Star
Nikonic jlappen
Magnificent Capture
bonnielauriepelland Alfredo_Jose
Outstanding Creativity
michellebarnes

Emotions

Impressed
CanonDLee
Happy
bonnielauriepelland

Top Ranks

Subjects On The Ground Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Cute Baby Animals Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Cute Baby Animals Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Isolated Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Isolated Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Isolated Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Wildlife Portraits Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Wildlife Portraits Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Shallow Depth Of Field Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Shallow Depth Of Field Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 2
Shallow Depth Of Field Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Isolating The Subject Photo ContestTop 10 rank

Categories


4 Comments |
JDLifeshots
 
JDLifeshots February 05, 2017
Adorable capture!
modelmeemaw Platinum
 
modelmeemaw April 02, 2017
These little guys are so adorable. Certainly on my bucket list to shoot. Love the "behind the lens"
Martha
Aeri
 
Aeri February 03, 2018
Very cute and effective shot... Congrats
Alla-Reza Platinum
 
Alla-Reza August 15, 2020
Very cute! Nice photos!
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

While most people in South West Florida travel to Cape Coral to photograph the Burrowing Owls, this photo was taken of a juvenile that was born in a burrow under a large rock in Punta Gorda, Fl.

Time

In this location, the owls could be photographed in the morning or evening in nice light. This photograph happened to be in the evening just as the sun was setting. If you look closely, you can see the setting sun in its eyes.

Lighting

I prefer never to use a flash and always rely on the beauty of natural light.

Equipment

Shot with the 7D and Canon 600 f/4 IS. It's a tough lens to hand-hold, but I had no other option. Laying flat on the ground, resting the tripod foot of the 600 on my hand.

Inspiration

Wildlife is its own inspiration. If you can look into the eyes of a wild animal and not feel inspired, you should probably move on to another type of photography or just sell your gear.

Editing

Shooting RAW leaves a lot of room to improve photos. I always do a little sharpening and, depending on the settings, some noise reduction. and color enhancement. I want my photos to be as natural as possible while still having that little bit of POP to catch the eye.

In my camera bag

I typically carry 2 camera bodies. My 1Dx is for wildlife, along with the Canon 800mm. I also carry a 6d which I use for most landscape or storm photography. I have a variety of lenses ranging from 14mm to 800mm. Covering just about all of the range in between with several zoom lenses like the 24-70, 70-200, 100-400.

Feedback

Wildlife photography can be a tricky thing. It's always best to stay far enough away from your subject that you are not influencing them in any way. I've found it best to spend time studying their habits and behavior before choosing a position to shoot from. Once you learn their patterns, you can get into position before they become active, then they will come to you. While everyone loves that shot of a wild animal staring straight down the lens, that usually is a sign that you're doing something wrong. Arrive early and relax and wait.

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