Snowy Take Off
Dec, 2016Views
6059
Likes
Awards
Top Shot Award
Contest Finalist in Wildlife In The Snow Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Color White Photo Contest
People's Choice in Animals in Winter Photo Challenge
People's Choice in The magical mystical snowy owl Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Superior Skill
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2
Top 20 rank
Categories
Ultimate
jamesjohnston_3471
January 21, 2017
Wonderful in-flight Snowy! Thank you so much for entering this in my challenge.
Platinum
PRO+
Platinum
john_arsenault
April 08, 2017
perfect light perfect composition perfect capture by the photographer; a masterpiece.
Platinum
kathyk_abq
September 16, 2017
Awesome, Deanne! I'll bet you are looking forward to seeing them this winter!
deannefortnam
September 16, 2017
Thank you! Yes indeed, we never know from one year to the next whether or not they will come this far south
Platinum
PRO+
PRO
Platinum
PRO+
Pjerry
March 02, 2020
Ohhh Deanne, what an outstanding beautiful shot. It's a pity I ccan give you only one award.... You deserve all the awards.
Platinum
Platinum
MatthewMichaelPatrick
January 09, 2021
This is the most beautiful Snowy Owl I've ever seen!!! I love it
Ultimate
Platinum
Platinum
PRO+
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this image at Salisbury State Reservation in Salisbury, MA. It was during a major irruption of Snowy Owls during the winter of 2014. There were five owls at Salisbury during that memorable winter. And I was a frequent visitor that entire winter.Time
This was shot in late afternoon with the sun behind the bird. A very cold, very windy day. 14 degrees F as I recall.Lighting
It was a difficult light situation with the sun low on the horizon behind the bird but you have to shoot the owls where and when they show up. I had the exposure setting as a center point on the bird and hoped for the best. It required some careful processing but the light glowing through the wings made it worth it. This is probably the best of my images from that winterEquipment
This image was taken with a Canon 7D and Canon 500mm f/4 with a 1.4x mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a Wimberley gimbal head. I'm unable to hand hold my gear so in flight shots are a real challenge.Inspiration
I've always loved owls of any kind but especially Snowy Owls. I really wanted to get a good quality Snowy shot for my portfolio so I spent that winter making many trips to the coast when the birds were present.Editing
Yes, normally I do limited post processing with my bird photography but in this case the bird was underexposed and the snow overexposed. I processed the image for a good exposure on the bird then a second for the background and combined the two together.In my camera bag
I travel with a Canon 7DII and a Canon 1Ds Mk III, a canon 24/105, Canon 100/400 II, Canon 600 f/4 II, Canon 100 Macro, heavy and light duty Gitzo tripods, ball head and a Wimberley Gimbal head for the large telephoto, a 1.4x and 2x extenders, flash, ring flash various filters.Feedback
Any time you are looking for a specific species of bird it's really helpful to follow the local bird lists. They normally post sightings of unusual birds and where they can be found. Also, need to be persistent and patient. And above all, RESPECT the birds and their habitat. Do not approach a roosting owl too closely. They need their energy and don't need to be constantly flying from a roosting spot or chased off their prey. I did not go to the coast this year to photograph the Snowies because the one reliable bird has been hounded to death by unknowing and uncaring photographers. The bird was constantly chased off it's roosting spots and eventually it abandoned it's winter range
