Frosty Owl
Photo taken at Lindsey Farms in Quay County, NM
Photo taken at Lindsey Farms in Quay County, NM
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Jul, 2018Views
1018
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
2020 Choice Award
Top Shot Award
Winner in I am one with my surroundings Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Beautiful Owls Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2
Top 10 rank
Categories
Ultimate
JayneBug
January 31, 2019
Beautiful! Congratulations on your award winning image and capture. Well done!
PRO+
Ultimate
sumanchakravarthi
September 15, 2020
FIRSTLY...CONGRATS MY FRIEND...YOUR PHOTOGRAPH IS BEAUTIFUL...GOOD ENVIRONMENT :) LOVE IT
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a remote area in Quay County, New Mexico near the western edge of the Llano Estacado mesa.Time
My wife and I spotted this owl on Christmas Eve in a cedar grove near my parents house on the family ranch. A hard freeze that night coated all of the trees with a thick frost, so on Christmas morning I went out in search of my owl friend. I headed back to the area where we had seen him the evening before. I was minutes away from giving up the search when, around 9 o'clock, I caught a glimpse of his huge yellow eyes. I was less than 30 feet away from him when I stumbled upon him, so I quickly snapped a few shots and stepped back to give him some space.Lighting
It was a cloudy morning, but there was just enough light to capture the owl as he stared at me.Equipment
My wife had been into birding for quite some time, so I wanted to get her a beginner camera with a good enough zoom to capture birds. I didn't know anything about photography at the time, but I did quite a bit of research and found what I thought was the best option our budget. It was a Nikon Coolpix B700. I took this photo with that camera about a year after purchasing it for her.Inspiration
I never thought I would miss home the way that I now do. I miss the wide open spaces of the high plains, the plateaus and mesas of the Llano Estacado, and the wide range of wildlife that roams the countryside. My wife introduced me to birding a few years back, so every time I go back home, I try to photograph the different species of birds that live in the area. I especially enjoy capturing photos of birds of prey, so I can't even explain how excited I was to see this owl.Editing
This image didn't take much post-processing. I sharpened the image slightly and brightened it up a bit.In my camera bag
I am still a beginner and an amateur, but I generally carry a Sony RX10 Mark III bridge camera. It has a 1" sensor and zooms from 24mm to 600mm. When possible I bring a Slik tripod with a Manfrotto fluid head mount. I don't often take video, but the fluid head makes it easy to track wildlife (birds) for video and stills.Feedback
It helps to have a camera with a long zoom and a tripod, so you can get in close to the birds, but you don't have to be an expert or have super expensive equipment. There are birding apps and guides that tell you what types of birds or wildlife live in your area and where to look to see them. Birds are active in the early morning, so get up early and go explore. Find a place where you can spot birds without disturbing them, stay there for a while, and be patient. While photographing birds, motion blur can be a problem, so use a high shutter speed. Even at high shutter speeds, a high percentage of your photos may experience some blur, so make sure to take plenty of photos.
